The Hidden Truth
by s12Becca
Summary: How well will Reece Marks cope when his little sister Gemma is nearly killed not only by a vampire but also one of his own fellow pack members? Embry/OC!
1. Cookout

**Hi all. First story here. This first part's short but PLEASE read because it gets SO MUCH BETTER I PROMISE!**

**I've been writing FF for 6 years, so I think I have a bit of experience, even though I've never posted them anywhere. So please, R&R!!**

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1. Cookout

Gemma

I sat on a large boulder facing the sea, criss-cross-applesauce. Behind me the normal scene of summer was roaring: a bonfire on the beach, all the locals gathered around the flames for a cookout. I, however, was not in the partying mood. This bonfire was different, for the occasion was not solely to have fun; it was to celebrate the end of a successful, happy summer (which didn't last long enough in my opinion). It was only a matter of hours before I was headed back to the Rez school, forced into a stuffy classroom for another eternity, my only solace being 5th period P.E.

Suddenly, hands were on my back, pushing me off balance, and my scream lurched into the night as my body dropped into the sand. The tide was coming towards me, and I shivered and feverishly attempted to climb back onto my rock. I hated water. No particular reason. I'd simply never been able to stand the idea of getting into it. Scared the living hell out of me. I turned around, seeing the culprit—my brother.

"Reece!" I yelled, flipping backwards onto the rock so that I landed on the ocean-free side to gave him a small pounding on his arm, which probably hurt me more than him. "That wasn't funny!"

"Aw, lighten up sis," he cooed with a smirk, turning to his friends. "We were just messing with ya. Wanna throw around a ball for a bit?" I sighed with resignation. The offer was too good to pass up, and I agreed. Snaking off my jacket, socks and shoes, I offered an open hand to him, and he passed me the football.

"Teams?" I asked. My brother's groupies, who had been my best friends my entire life, and I were usually split into the same two teams every game. Me, Embry, and Paul versus Sam, Jared and Reece. Now, I'll be honest. When junior high hit, these boys were like gods to me. Beautiful, tan, extremely built. But the idea of dating one of them now was completely ridiculous. They were my brothers. They protected me, rough housed with me, and made fun of me when I got my period.

Reece nodded to me. That meant the usual. We got into our group huddle, and soon, we were all playing down and dirty, throwing each other into the sand, and making touchdowns. It was a heated match, but in the end, my team prevailed.

"Yeah!" I yelled in Reece's face. "Ha ha!"

"Boys," Reece started in a menacing tone. This was never good. Usually what came after the word 'boys' involved me being lifted and swung around. "I think we need to teach little Gemma here about good sportsmanship." And who were they to disagree? Paul wrapped his arms around my waist, picking me up with sickening ease, and nearly dropped me so that his grip was adjusted to under my arms. I rolled my eyes.

"No, please," I called in a monotone. This little routine of theirs was starting to get a little boring. Embry began to tip toe over, giving his mad scientist expression, and began tickling me. That's when I lost it. "Okay, okay, I give I give!" I screamed through pained laughs.

Finally, they allowed me to surrender, and I gave each of them their rightful punch in the arm, again hurting myself more than them. They just laughed. I didn't.


	2. Cliff Diving

2. Cliff Diving

Gemma

I stood at the locker that had been in my possession for all of my three years at the high school. It was decorated with pictures. One was a fringed photo of me and the gang smiling cheekily into the camera from Emily's kitchen. Emily was Sam's fiancée, and the two had more love between them than most married couples combined. Another was a film strip out of a cramped photo booth from the Port Angeles Galleria, depicting me, Quil, and Embry being goof balls. We'd always been close, and we were all the youngest of our group of friends, which consisted mainly of my brother and his posse.

I laughed, remembering the good times, and shut my locker. It was the end of the day, and I had been itching to leave since I first walked into the small, stuffy building. Throwing my messenger bag, which was bought for the purpose of transporting books to and from school but ended up as a storage unit for my beach necessities, over my shoulder, I listed to the rustic bell ring and couldn't help but smile. That sound meant freedom, at least for the rest of the day.

Heading out, I walked alongside my classmates for several minutes before departing to head home. Almost everyone walked to school; the community was so minuscule. Then, from behind me, I heard an approaching roar of an engine and an old Quilluete Indian call. I turned to look, my short brown ponytail smacking my cheek as I did so.

"Hey Embry," I called to him, and he sped up. He was on one of his fixed up ATVs, and he quickly slowed so he rolled alongside me as I walked.

"Hey. Hop on." I nodded, swinging my leg around the side and adjusting my bag behind me.

"Where to?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his waist; he was too built, however, and my hands were barely able to grip one another. This was a good feeling though. My arms around Embry always seemed to feel a little right to me, and he was very warm, to contrast the cool breeze rolling through the reservation. "Home?"

"Nope" was all he said as he sped off, doing a sharp U-turn near my driveway and heading the opposite way. I tightened my grip, wondering what adventure he would take me on today. It was always an adventure with him, I knew. The thick tires of the vehicle left the gravel road and met with the soft soil of the forest, climbing uphill. His wrist flicking one of the handles, we began to go faster, winding quickly through the woods, barely avoiding the trees and branches it had to offer.

Why did this feel so ominous? Him or one of the other guys would take me through the woods all the time, only to find a clearing where the rest of the clan were messing around. Maybe it was because Embry was more careless on his ATV than Sam or Jared were on their dirt bikes, and if I hadn't been so tightly clung to him, I would have easily fallen off.

Soon, my eyes found an opening in the tree line where an excessive amount of light was coming through. We were almost there. Slowing the four wheeler, the ground almost level, I realized where we were, and my stomach dropped into the bowels of my ankles. The cliffs.

"Embry," I said quickly, warningly, nearly jumping off of the bike so he couldn't get a hold of me. I was scared. The boys were always trying to get me to cliff dive, to rid me of my fear of water, but I'd never allowed them. I'd make excuses or just plain book it.

Then, I felt big bear arms around my waist.

"Quick, get her jacket!" The voice belonged to my brother, Reece, who had lifted me off of my feet. Embry gave me a very wolfish grin, sliding his shirt off, and twitched towards me, stripping me of my shoes, jacket and bag, stringing them onto his ATV. I screamed, trying to kick and punch my way out of my arms, though the moment I saw Jacob, Sam, Quil, Paul and Jared emerge from the woods, all shirtless, I knew I had no chance. These guys were the ultimate body builders, the strongest guys I'd ever met in my life. I wasn't heavy by any means, but the guys threw me around like I was a feather. "Today's the day, sis," Reece told me calmly in my ear, the rest of the guys laughing cruelly.

"Today, we will rid you of your fear of water. Whether you like it or not," Jared laughed in his cutely lisped voice. I wished I could make fun of it now, but alas. I was too busy hyperventilating.

"This is cruel," I choked. "Please stop!" I begged, to no avail.

"C'mon, sis," Paul cooed, chuckling along with the rest of them as Reece brought me effortlessly closer to the edge. "Don't be like this."

"Guys I can't swim!" I screamed, seeing the water below me. His grip didn't lighten, and they began their countdown above my yelps.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

Then, I was flying through the air, plummeting towards what would most certainly be my death. I felt Reece's heated grip leave me, and I was all alone in the air. And very soon after that, my screams were cut off by the water that was all around me. I coughed, flinging about wildly and desperately attempting to fish my way to the surface where the boy's cheers, hoots and hollers were already rippling to my ears.

My face broke the top of the water and I gasped for air, fearfully endeavoring to wade in the shaken aqua.

"You guys are jerks!" I scolded them, barely keeping my head above the surface with my less than refined swimming skills. In response, they just laughed, and the closest to me, Embry, gave me a grin and offered open arms, to which I felt obligated to accept, seeing as there was no other physical way I could keep afloat on my own. Below the surface, his warm hand wrapped around an area on my waist which was bare, on account of the fact that my shirt was bobbing near my chin. His skin on mine was comforting, and my breathing slowed. I saw what they were doing. They were going to keep me in the water until I had conquered my fears.

"P-please," I said, not sure whether I was stammering because the water was cold or I was nervous. "Just get me out." They all just laughed again, and Embry pulled me closer. I noticed Reece giving him a warning glare, which my brother handed out more often to him than anyone else. They were always tickling me, messing around with me, but Reece was the one who drew the line. After all, I was his little sister.

After a "house fire" which killed our dad and left my mother with horrible scratch-like scars on her face and torso Reece turned out to be surprisingly well rounded. He was courteous to women, polite to the elders of the town, and always protective of his mother and baby sister. The boys always seemed to have an eye for me, I'll admit it. Even as a Freshman in high school, Reece's friends, seniors themselves, would ask if they could take me out, to which he would chuckle and reply, "No, you sick bastard. Pick on someone your own size."

I never really believed the story about dad's death. Everyone else seemed to be in on the secret, but I figured if I was meant to know, I would be told. There were many things that I had no clue about, like the strange ways my friends acted, how they would initiate people into their clique only when "the time was right," or they "felt it was necessary." It never really struck me as normal, but what could I do? Ask them about it? Hell no.

Realizing I had been staring off into the water, my eyes snapped to Sam's when he called me name.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a chuckle, apparently repeating himself.

"Get me out," I replied quietly. My breathing was normal, and as long as Embry's arms were holding me close, I thought I'd be okay. In response, they all let out an Indian yelp, obviously Quilluete. It was a signal, and I hoped it meant we were going to dry land.

After a couple more minutes of agonizing torture, we began to head back to the beach. As soon as I felt sand between my now bare toes, I yanked myself away from Embry's grip and climbed the driest patch of sand I could find, my jeans weighing me down and my hair clinging to my face. I gave each one of them a glare as I hugged my knees, already missing my buddy's warmth. I began quivering, and he sat down next to me, along with Jacob and Reece.

"I'll go get her stuff," Jared told Sam, starting to head back towards the woods, still soaking wet.

"Jared, wait!" I called. "It'll take you all night to hike back up there."

"No it won't," he laughed stubbornly, disappearing. I stood. I wanted to get home, change out of my clothes, and go to bed. The sun was already beginning to set, and I had school the next day.

"Hey, don't be such a chick," Em commented at my attempts to angrily avoid eye contact. "If one of us told you we were afraid of the sun, what would you do, other than throw us outside?" I thought of all the things wrong with that statement. _Why would one of them be afraid of the sun? And how would I throw them? I can't even nudge them. _I turned to see him jogging after me, and the guys heading back into the woods, probably for another round.

Soon, I was home, and I tried slamming the door in his face but he caught it, slipping inside. I was nearly dry now, but I ran into my room and changed anyway, keeping the door locked for a long time before I came back out to find him on my couch, eating out of a bag of chips and flipping through the TV channels.

"Christ," I said, feeling my teeth chatter a little. Apparently changing into a long sleeve shirt and pants hadn't changed the fact that my blood was still below the average temperature. He placed his arm around me, and as mad as I was at him, he was too warm to ignore. I snuggled close to him, putting my cheek against his chest, instantly tired.


	3. The Invitation

3. The Invitation

Embry

After finding out that wolves imprinted, I wanted Gemma Marks to be mine. I'd liked her since we were kids, but never done anything about it, because she was Reece's sister. She was practically all of their sisters. Except mine. She was never my sister. I'd _always_ had feelings for her, feelings that were seemingly unmasked when it came to everyone _except_ her.

She fell asleep in my arms, with the TV blaring. I knew I had school the next day, but I couldn't help but watch her. I'll admit, there'd been many nights just like this where I'd just admire her sleeping, staring at her hard, trying to force myself to imprint. Because if it wasn't her, it'd be somebody else. But I didn't want anybody else.

Soon after the moment her eyes closed, mine did as well, and I feel into a deep, dreamless sleep.

_Splash!_

I let out a yelp, my eyes shooting open.

"Wakey wakey!" Gemma called from over me. She had an empty bucket of water in her hand and a wide grin on her face. The water was now all over me. "Time for school my dear." I shook my head like a dog wringing its fur dry, and stood. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her, hold her close. But I couldn't. My ears told me that Reece was asleep upstairs (he snores like a jackhammer) and he probably had some kind of alarm that went off in his fat head whenever I touched her.

He knew. Hell, the whole pack knew. She was almost constantly on my mind, and when it came to running, I couldn't help but thinking the same thoughts I always did: how her smile made my blood run smoother, how her touch gave me chills, how her laugh paralyzed me. Yeah, they all knew I had feelings for her. At first, they had the impression that I _had_ imprinted on her. Reece wasn't too thrilled about that, though I was. But Sam quickly deterred that idea, and his order was good and clear. I was a new wolf, he said. I couldn't afford to get close to her and then hurt her, like he had with Emily. And I would never want that to happen, ever. So I kept my distance... When I could.

Before long, I heard her from her room, slamming dresser drawers, running around trying to make herself look presentable, though if she came to school covered in dirt she'd look just as beautiful. I laid my body back down on the couch and closing my eyes, glad the pack could only hear my thoughts when I was a wolf. Picturing her getting dressed, brushing her hair. Not. Creepy. Whatsoever.

I fell asleep sooner than I thought I had, and before I knew it, it was mid-afternoon, and Gemma was sitting on the floor with her back against the couch, holding a sandwich loosely in her hand. I reached over as quietly as I could, taking a large bite out of it. To my dismay, she was not in a bikini like she had been in my dreams, but her clothing choice for the day accented her body shape, brought out her chocolate brown eyes.

She giggled, seeing her half eaten food, and I chuckled as she hit me jokingly.

"Where were you today?" she asked. If everything went Sam's way, she would probably never know how much she had an effect on me. I paused a moment before replying, my mouth still filled with ham and cheese.

"Here," I told her, my voice muffled by the food.

"On your second day of school? Really?"

I shrugged, swallowing with a smirk. "I have better things to do I guess." She seemed to pause, considering my statement.

"Damn," she said finally. "I should have stayed too." We both smiled and she pulled herself onto the couch, sitting on my stomach, continuing to eat off of her hand me down ham and cheese and flipping through the channels, bringing her legs up and folding them beneath one another. I made sure to only look at her for a second before prying my eyes towards the TV.

"Hey!" A strong voice called from the stairs. It was Reece, and it made me flinch. I realized that my hand had moved to wrap around Gemma's waist, and he eyeballed it like he was trying to set my limb on fire. "Get your slimy hands off my sister," he told me protectively, adding a little bit of a sarcastic edge to it.

"Nah, I think she likes it right where it's at, don't ya Gem?" I replied to him cheekily, looking up to her. She gave a shrug and took another bite.

"We're headed to the beach. You guys gonna come?" Reece questioned dully, going to the fridge. After a moment of digging, he found nothing and came back to the scene.

"Sure," I responded, feeling the need to stretch. I stood, letting Gemma fall onto the couch, and pulled at my muscles for a bit before turning to her. "Coming?" She nodded, shoved the rest of her sandwich into her mouth (which earned her an Embry-laugh) and stood, throwing her hair up.

"No water antics today boys, okay? It's freezing," she told us, pushing me aside and walking out the door. My eyes followed her figure until they were gone, and I turned to Reece. We exchanged a moment of awkward glaring before following her.

"Christ," she said quietly. "You're like a space heater." She curled up to me and I pulled her into my lap, hugging her warm. I was hoping she was too cold to wonder why I was so damn hot all the time.

"That's about enough of that," Reece said a little threateningly, picking her up from my grip and lifting her into the air to tickle her. The rest of the guys were tossing around a football, but when she let out her first scream/laugh, they turned and dropped the ball into the sand. They would never turn away the chance to play mess-with-Gemma. More like mess-with-Embry.

"Stop!" she cried, and I saw the rest of the guys forming a circle. Great. More hot potato. She started flying through the air, being tossed from one guy to the next. "What is wrong with you freaks?!" she yelled sarcastically, and when I stood and caught her, I paused.

"What did you call me?" I asked in a quiet, mock-offended tone.

"Freak," she spat at me, giggling.

"I'll show you freak," I said, throwing her over my shoulder in a fireman's carry and booking it towards the water.

"Hey, watch it! That's my sister!" Reece yelled.

"Cool it, Reece," Sam chuckled. "They're fine."

"No, no please enough," she begged me, trying to get out of my grip. I heard the splashing of my own feet in the water, and when I got waist deep, I threw her in, a bit harder than I had intended. The guys let out an entertained yelp from the shore, and I dove in, swimming in circles around her.

"Get a room!" I heard Jared call from the shore.

"Embry?" she called, spinning around. The sun was beginning to set, and it made it harder for her to see through the water. She walked a bit closer towards shore, trying to find me. I smiled widely. "Em c'mon," she told me in an annoyed tone, probably wanting out of the water. "Embry Call... you stop this right now," she whispered. Looking over towards the beach, I saw that all the guys had disappeared. What the hell? Then I heard yelling, and I looked up to see them diving from the cliff again. Then I turned my attention back to the beautiful creature I had completely to myself, for the time being at least. I dove deeper, tugging at her foot.

Screaming, I pulled her under again, and I shot up, my feet still touching the bottom, laughing. She pushed herself up and splashed me.

"Jerk!" she yelled, and I pulled her into a tight hug, still laughing. It seemed to be contagious, because soon, without any room between us, she began to giggle against the rhythm of my own chuckles. Then, seeing Reece eyeballing me from the cliffs, I hesitantly broke away from the hug and went under again.

"You're no human!" she screamed into the sky. Wait, what? I popped up suspiciously, giving her a strange look. "You're a fish," she laughed, walking to land. I let out a breath of relief and followed her.

We both fell into the sand, both soaking wet again.

"How did they get up there so fast?" she commented, watching the boys from the cliff. I shrugged in reply.

"Come here, I'm cold," she demanded, pulling my bare arm around her. Finally. The guys were gone, and I had her to myself, even if it was for a little bit. It was enough time to ask her what had been on my mind all week, what I had made sure Sam didn't hear me thinking.

"Hey Gem?" I took her silence as an invitation to continue. Here goes. "'Member last year when we all went to the Port Angeles Homecoming?"

"Yeah, that was fun," she commented. "And they barely let you guys in because they thought you were all like 25." I smiled at the memory.

"Well, would you wanna go again this year?" I held my breath. Would she even understand that I wanted it to be a date? No, she was too nice to assume something like that. I'd have to do a little more nudging. "With me?" That sounded cheesy. _Crap. Uh..._ "And Paul? And Quil and Jacob?" There, that sounded better. Wait, didn't I want it to be a date? _Crap._ Before I could stammer on further, she interrupted.

"Yeah, that sounds fun," she told me, her head still rested on my bare chest. I could hear her heart beat; it was nice.

"Well, Rachel's off in college, so Paul'll go by himself, but Quil and Jacob are both bringing somebody. So I figured I would ask you." There. I'd implied that she would be my date. Would it be enough? Would I have to clarify further?

"Cool. Yeah, sounds like a blast." I let out a relieved breath. Why would I think that asking her would be so hard? I'd faced vampires, why was I so nervous when it came to Gemma?

Because I loved her, that's why.


	4. The Man Who Started the Fire

**Thanks for anyone who's read or reviewed my stories. I know it's probably not a lot of people, but it means a lot, and I'll keep posting more whether people review or not. But I would like to hear what everyone thinks about it so far!! I just finished writing 9, and it just keeps getting better and better, I promise!!**

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4. The Man Who Started the Fire

Gemma

The doorbell rang. I felt a little anxious, though I knew it was silly. These boys had seen me in a bikini. Why should a dress be so bad? Making sure my hair didn't look like complete shit, I took a step back and analyzed myself in the mirror. I didn't look completely horrible. Short, cute black dress, hair in a messy, yet neat, bun. I slid on my heels and grabbed my purse. I shuffled over towards the door, brushing my bangs out of my face as I opened it.

Embry Call had always been one of my best friends. Usually he was found running around the La Push Reservation shirtless, cliff diving or doing something stupid or reckless. Now, however, he was standing on my doorstep, cleanly shaved, wearing black slacks and a white button down shirt.

"Wow," I commented with an approving nod, my eyes averting to see behind him. Jacob, his date Bella, some chick from Forks, and Quil and Paul, both flying solo, awaited us in the car, and I didn't keep them. Letting Embry lead the way back, he opened the door and I climbed in a little clumsily. After all, I was in a dress and heels. Bella didn't look very comfortable, or all that happy, and I gave her a smile as Embry slid into the seat under me so that when I sat it was on his lap. I gave her a greeting and we were off, six people packed into the car, as Paul hit the gas petal.

We pulled into the parking lot of the Port Angeles High School, seeing all the pale faces (it was funny how I referred to non-local La Pushites as "pale faces," though I was paler than the majority) and we parked. Sliding out of the car, the guys looked instantly uncomfortable, like a bad smell was wafting through the air. I gave Embry a smile and took his arm, letting him lead me inside. It wasn't a date. He was just my "escort" (Reece made sure this was clear to him before hand).

Sitting in the stuffy gym, we had a good time, though after about five minutes it was raining sweat and I got separated from the guys and Bella. I sat, taking a large gulp of water, and watched the other teenagers interact. It was entertaining to see how other kids off of the Rez socialized. The guys looked over dramatic, and the girls even more dramatic. I just laughed. Then, I noticed a guy cutting through the crowd. He was paler than anyone else, and his skin seemed to twinkle when the light from the disco ball hit him. He had piercing brown eyes, and he was headed straight towards me. Smiling, I attempted to nonchalantly fix my hair.

"Hey," he told me smoothly, sitting right next to me. It was pretty clear that not a lot of people knew him, from the way they stared. His voice was like velvet, and I could already picture myself leaving with him. Shit, Reece would flip. I giggled at this thought and he cracked a handsome half smile.

"Hi. Gemma," I told him, holding my hand out confidently for him to shake, making sure I was wearing my best radiating smile. He took my hand and turned it; his was freezing cold, and so were his lips as he gently kissed the back of my hand.

"Johnathon," he introduced himself when his lips parted from my skin. Christ, I had the shivers. "Would you like to dance?" His voice was so silky, and quaint, like he was carrying a hundred years of information in that head of his. I promptly nodded and he graciously led me to the dance floor.

We danced through several songs, me fumbling compared to his graceful dancing. Then, he leaned in close.

"Hey, it's kinda hot in here. Would you like to take a walk outside?" I turned and saw Embry, who was getting a drink, glaring at Johnathon. Jealousy obviously plagued his expression, as he glanced towards the other guys. I nodded, sensing that something was wrong but ignoring it. How could I skip an opportunity with Mr. Gorgeous?

Weaving through the flood of people, we seemed to break through the doors quickly.

"Did you come here with anyone?" he asked coolly, his hands in each of his pant pockets as we walked along the side of the building, towards a small patch of woods.

"Yeah. Some friends."

"Well, I'll have to apologize to them later then, for stealing you away." The statement was simple enough, but my stomach had dropped. Was I supposed to read into that?

"I'm sure they won't mind," I said with a smile, my shy eyes watching my feet, already pained by the wedges I had chosen.

"Yes they will. You're one to be missed. I'm sure your body won't be very easy to clean up either," he said nonchalantly, and I froze. Just as I turned to see the doors flinging open, and my friends running out towards me, a cold hand gripped my arm and I was flying through the night. Literally. My feet left the ground, and I was suddenly being hit by leaves and twigs and branches, going a million miles an hour through the woods.

The pain grew in my arm, and I realized what was happening. This guy had drugged me with something, and now he was flinging me through the woods. I should have followed my instincts. Shit. Suddenly, I was looking down over the ground; I was up a tree, and I wasn't alone.

Everything was so clear, I was so aware. I looked down to see four extremely large wolves. But they couldn't have been wolves; they had to be bears. They were so huge. The man that was crushing my wrist into dust was crouching next to me, and he jumped down to the ground, me being dragged down with him. I let out another pained cry as I hit my head, hard. What was going on? Sitting up, I realized that he had let go of me, and was trying to fight the wolves. I didn't know what I was more scared of—the wolves, or the man. It didn't matter. I had to try and get away from all of them.

I began to crawl, trying not to put too much weight on my obviously broken wrist, and I closed my eyes tight, attempting to hide my tortured cries of pain. I wouldn't be able to move unless I got to my feet. Slowly, I crouched and stood, hiding behind the shadow of a large oak tree, and then, once I figured all of the monsters were distracted, I turned and ran. I didn't get very far.

A loud growl informed me that something was behind me, and somehow I knew that I couldn't escape. The same cold grip that I had felt before was now grabbing the back of my neck, and he threw me back against my own momentum, flinging me over his shoulder. He began to run, faster than ever, and I had no choice but to hold on tightly to my broken wrist. Tears streamed from my face.

We were running for barely a second, but I had to guess we traveled the length of ten football fields. He was fast, crazy fast, and I knew then that he wasn't human. He had to have been an alien. Before long, there was a strong pain in my calf. Something had bit me, and I had no doubt that it was the wolves chasing us. I understood then. The different species weren't just fighting, they were fighting over me. Food. The teeth of one of the wolves dug deep into my leg and ripped me off of the man, casting me back; I smacked my head against a dull rock and screamed louder, though I knew that it was no use. One of them would finish me off, whether it be the alien, or the bear. I was dead.

I missed my friends in that instant. I missed Embry, and Jacob, and Paul and Sam and Jared and Quil and Emily. I missed them terribly.

Lying there, I heard loud claps of thunder, and my heavy eyes lifted to see that it wasn't the sky but the opponents of the fight slamming against each other, ripping holes into the others' bodies. Tears rolled down my face, and one of them barked in a sort of authoritative tone towards me. Letting out a sob, I reached behind my head and saw what I had already suspected. Blood. Lots of it. Coming from my head, and my leg. Looking down, seeing my red heels still perfectly set on my feet, everything around me was starting to grow fuzzy and dark. A figure loomed over me, and I saw the man's piercing eyes staring into mine. He took my wrist in his gentle grip, and for a moment, I had some sick hope that he would use one of his other powers to heal me. It would be one less pain to try and fight.

My hopes had been deflected quickly. He was pumping my arms with his hands, like he was trying to give me an ice cold Indian burn. And then I felt it. More teeth, only they felt different than the teeth of the wolf. They were piercing, cold, and burning. I felt blood leaving my arm. What the hell was he doing?! Drinking my blood? Ladies and Gentleman, the most handsome Dracula I've ever seen!

Though I hadn't closed my eyes, everything was now black. The stars shut off, and the sky had turned its back on me. I was on fire; the combustion in my wrist was radiating, spreading to the rest of my body, especially my chest. My heart was ablaze, and his teeth were still inside me, sucking me dry. I starting shaking, convulsing. I was dying, being murdered, and I couldn't do anything but scream for help that would most likely never come.

Then, his fangs were ripped from me, taking my burning skin along with it. The pain only got worse. My eyes shot open, and I saw one of the wolves stumble as the man scratched its face. It fell backwards and growled, and the other two grabbed hold of the vampire and began shredding it into pieces. I was churning; my insides were having a bonfire, and I bit back a scream, trying to concentrate on the fact that they might still try and come after me.

And then something beautiful, and terrifying, happened. The wolves dissolved from the scene, and in their place stood my friends: Paul, Embry, Jacob, Quil. My charred eyes widened, and I began to choke on what tasted like blood. My insides began dancing around the fire, chanting, and I let out a horrified gasp, and then one more feared scream. My friends, my best friends... monsters. They were the ones who had bit me, who had nearly killed me, though full credit for my death would be given to the alien man.

The overwhelming physical and emotional agony became too much. I whispered a goodbye to myself before surrendering and letting my eyes shut.

I was nowhere.

I was everywhere.

I was suddenly aware. I could hear quite clearly, and I knew by the clear sound of the grasshoppers singing a chirped song, I was still in the woods.

It was like waking from a nightmare, only to find that you're still dreaming.

I was still on fire, and it was setting in, starting to feel like a constant, like it would never stop.

They were talking, and the more I listened, the clearer they became.

"The venom is spreading quickly." _Sam_. Sam would help me. He would make it go away. Unlike... I couldn't bear to think about my ex-friends, the monsters who had tried to kill me. I tried calling out to him, only to gag; the back of my head felt especially warm and slippery. I was still bleeding. Sam would help me. Hopefully.

"What do we do?!" Embry. No. Sam was one of them! Crap! They were all next to me, I felt their presence, and I couldn't do anything about it but shake and writhe within my cocoon of a body.

"We'll have to suck it out of her, and quick."

"Gross!"

"We're the only ones. We're immune. If we don't, she will become one of them, and we will have to destroy her."

If only they knew how much pain I was in. Why couldn't they just kill me?

"I'll do it, she's my sister." Reece. I hadn't thought of it before. Reece had to be one of them too, always strutting around with the pack. My thoughts became so clear that I began to ponder not on my murderous brother but of how organized my thoughts were. My mind began to run in circles, and I started crying. I just wanted it to be over. I felt something hot and soft touch the cold spot on my arm, where the teeth of the man had been before. The man who started the fire.

"You won't do it right. Give me her hand." _Embry. Leave me alone, please. Just get away from me. Let me deteriorate on my own._

"Enough," Sam ordered, and I began to see again. My eyes had been open the whole time, but now I was regaining vision. "Embry. Now. And hurry."

Lips once again touched my wound, and the blood was leaving my arm. Just when I thought that I could get comfortable with the now dulled candlelight burning feeling, it began to roar again, and I screamed. My vision was lost once more, my thoughts scrambled. Why couldn't I just die?

Then, the light came back, and relief washed over me. The burning had ceased completely. I realized that my body had stopped shaking, and I could actually voluntarily move my limbs. I coughed, feeling something pressed against my head. All my other feelings, the blood leaking from my wrist, leg and head, the hair in my face, my eyes burning from the tears, began to come back.

My shiny orbs fluttered around, attempting to evaluate the scene. The monsters I used to be associated with were all hovered over me. I jumped back, only to find that Reece was holding me in place, pushing against the back of my head. My breathing quickened, and I began to hyperventilate, shaking again.

"Get-... Get away from me. Please..." I begged, only to have Reece hold onto me tighter. "Reece, please!"

"Gemma, don't move. You're badly hurt." Then, I was in motion. But not on my own accord. My surroundings were running away from me. Reece had picked me up, and was carrying me like I was an infant.

"What- What are you going to do to me?"

"Gem, please, don't talk. Just stay awake. Okay?"

"Hell no!" I yelled, coughing. Blood again. I decided to deal with the brain freeze and metallic taste and continue stammering. "Let me go! Please I never did anything!"

"I know! We're gonna bring you home, fix you up okay?"

"Yeah right!" I was delirious. I needed to be away from them. I heard an engine. The jeep. They were going to drive away with me, and no one would ever see me again. I started crying and he held me closer. "No, let me go!" I yelled, as he sat down in the back seat, and with the others climbing onto the vehicle and holding on tight, Sam, in the driver's seat, took off.

Someone was brushing my hair out of my face. Embry. I screamed as loud as I could before choking again.

"Shh, Gemma it's okay, we've got you now."

"No," I moaned. "Why couldn't you just let me die," I cried as his torturous, yet warm and familiar, touch continued to plague my face, and it drew out the entire drive home.


	5. Hurt

**Hey guys. I know I haven't gotten a lot of reviews but I'm trying to post more and more so that I can get that beloved "Complete" status. Then maybe more people will read this. Anyways, behold... An Embry POV. His parts are usually my favorite, this one being no exception. For all of you who are actually reading my stuff, PLEASE review, and happy reading. :)**

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5. Hurt

Embry

I could not believe I let this happen.

Gemma floated in and out of consciousness the whole drive home, mumbling about how she wanted us to stay away from her, and how she wanted to die. Like hell.

Port Angeles was, on a dead night, about an hour's drive from La Push. With Sam behind the wheel, however, and a dying girl in the backseat, we made it back in about 25 minutes. We sped up into Sam and Emily's driveway, slamming on the breaks. Before Reece could pick her up I took his now unconscious sister out of his arms and ran inside, the rest of the pack behind me. Emily was waiting inside with medications and first aid necessities, and I kicked everything off of her coffee table—magazines, coasters—and laid her gently down, stroking the hair out of her face.

"My main concern is her open wounds," Emily told me, rushing over. "And her head. We need to wake her up, right now."

"No," I protested, looking up at her. "We need to set her wrist while she's out."

"That'll wake her up," Jared commented from the doorway. Did he think this was funny? I gave him a seconds glare before turning back to Gemma.

"Fine," Emily said, going over to the other side of the table and taking hold of her wrist. She looked to me, her eyes tearing into mine. "Embry, I think you need to go for a walk," she told me gently.

"No, I'm just fine right here," I told her stubbornly, realizing that I probably had a mixture of Gemma blood and vampire venom all over my face and lips. I didn't care though.

Suddenly, without taking her eyes off of me, she re broke Gem's wrist so that it could heal properly. Jared was right; she shot up with a scream, and I caught her before she fell back down.

"Hey," I muttered to her, holding her head up. Emily tightly and efficiently wrapped her wrist with a sturdy looking homemade splint, then moved onto her leg, which, thanks to me, was wide open, the skin hanging sideways. She mumbled something to Sam, and he quickly handed her a brown bottle of hydrogen peroxide. It was going to hurt, but I knew she could handle it. Emily dumped the chemical onto the wound, and Gemma's eyes glued shut, masking a scream with her teeth grit together. "You need to stay awake, okay?" I asked her softly, and she shook her head. I wiped some of the tears from her eyes, looking behind me once again to the rest of the pack, who were all watching Emily work her magic.

"She's lost a lot of blood," came a rustic, ancient voice from the kitchen. It was Billy Black, who we had called on the way back to La Push. "But we can't take her to the hospital."

"Why not?" I barked at him, and he glared at me. I wasn't respecting my elders at the moment, but I wasn't really thinking either.

"She's got a vampire bite."

"And a wolf one too, thanks to Embry," Paul added sarcastically.

"Hey, you shut up. And I got all of it out," I told Billy confidently, trying to ignore Paul's comment. "I sucked on her blood for a half hour to make sure it was clean. I got it all out."

"It doesn't matter. She-"

"Billy!" Gemma screamed, trying to sit up. Reece came over and held her down while I made sure her wrist was properly wrapped. "Billy help they tried to kill me," she choked, and I knew it was on her own blood. She needed more help than we could give her. But obviously it wasn't up to me.

"Hey, sis," Reece sang. "Calm down, okay? We weren't trying to kill you, Embry had to pull you away from the v-" he stopped when Billy grabbed the back of his shirt collar warningly. We weren't to tell, even now. Apparently I looked mad, because he let go of Reece, then pointed to me.

"You. Get out. Before you kill us all." I just looked up at him, and I realized I was shaking. I stood, fists clenched, and looked to Gemma. "Do you want to hurt her again? Get out," he ordered. He was right, but I found myself unable to tear away from the scene. "Sam, take the dog out," he demanded, looking over to Sam. Sam walked over, grabbed the back of my neck, and threw me out the door.

"Change. Now. We need to talk," he ordered, and I couldn't help but obey. I headed towards the woods, changing just as I stepped beyond the first tree. Soon, he was after me, and I heard the guys from inside.

"He needs to just come out and say it," Jared laughed. "He's not fooling anyone."

"That guy, he drugged you down in Port Angeles, you'll be alright," Reece told Gemma, who was stuttering on about wolves and aliens. He was obviously trying to ignore Jared's comment and make up an excuse to try and fool his sister. It made me even more angry, and I growled and bit a chunk out of an old oak.

I heard Jacob's voice enter. He'd obviously already gotten back from taking Bella home.

"Good morning sunshine!" he announced, probably to Gemma, as he walked in.

_Embry. Go. Now,_ Sam ordered me through his thoughts. I hated this. Hated it. I booked it, struggling to continue through the woods without hitting a tree. I was apparently more mad than I originally thought I was. As we entered a clearing, he barked and I slowed to a stop, turning towards him.

_Don't go there Sam_, I warned him, pacing.

_Why didn't you tell me you were taking Gemma to Port Angeles tonight? _He continued. I guessed that he didn't hear me and I growled at him. He huffed, wanting an answer.

_It's none of your damned business where I take her, _I told him.

_It is when I _specifically_ told you not to date her!_

_ It wasn't a date! Ask her yourself. _ He paused, glaring at me for a minute, and I glared right back. _I have to go check on Gemma-_

_ Embry I gave you a direct order. Now because of you she's laying on a coffee table, nearly bleeding to death. She's Reece's brother, and I'm sure he doesn't appreciate you taking his sister out-_

_ It wasn't a date, Samuel, _ I told him defiantly, emphasizing his name; he hated that, and I knew it.

_Don't backtalk me! _He was getting angry. Good. I didn't care, and he knew it.

_What you've done... It could have cost Gemma her life. All because you refused to tell me you were going to Port Angeles. What if it was three vampires? Or four? You, Jacob, Quil and Paul are good, but you guys are kids. You couldn't have fought them off. You barely killed one, and look at what happened to her._

_Why is it that I'm not supposed to be happy?_ I screamed to him in my head angrily. I hated that he was right, I hated that I hurt her, and I hated that I wasn't in there now. _Why?!_ _Why is it that you and Jared and Paul get to be happy and I don't?!_

_ If this is about imprinting, you're way out of line. If it was meant to be, it would have happened._

He was pissing me off. I knew it wasn't him, but his words. Why couldn't they be lies? Why couldn't he be the bad guy? Pausing, breathing hard, I realized I had scratched a gigantic hole in the ground.

_You need to calm down Embry. Before anyone else gets hurt._

_ Are you guys done yet? _ It was a new voice. Jared's. Dammit, I didn't want him here. _Gemma's awake again, and she wants to see Embry._

_Well she's not going to. Embry's going to go for a run, _Sam ordered, staring me hard in the eyes. I lost it, lunging at him with a loud snarl. Jared appeared in the clearing and started for me, but I was already hacking away at Sam.

_Jared, don't, _Sam ordered calmly, despite the fact that I was clawing and biting at him. Jared took a step back and I kept going, not even caring about who heard me anymore.

_Why can't I be with her?! _I screamed. _Why can't it be her?! Why!_

Finally, I grew tired enough to let Sam get the upper hand, and he pinned me on the ground.

_Do you want her to look like Emily? Huh?! _I stopped, knowing that Sam still felt completely horrible for the scars that plagued his fiancé's once beautiful face. _Do you want her to feel that kind of pain? Do _you _want to feel that kind of pain?! _We were both breathing hard, and he released his pin on me, taking a step back and going into the woods to change. His voice was gone, but Jared-wolf was still there, staring at me, most likely bewildered. He'd never seen me lash out like that before. Truth was, I never had.

"I'm going back to the house. Jared, go with Embry on a run," Sam ordered aloud, sliding his shorts back on and throwing me one last glare before making the trek back towards his home. I huffed, still pissed, and took off running in the opposite direction, Jared trailing close behind.

_Dude_, he thought to me, shocked by my actions to defy my alpha.

_I know_. I gave an internal sigh, which he most likely heard, and sped off into the wilderness, the moon guiding my way.


	6. Missing You

6. Missing You

Gemma

The voices invading my dreams were not unfamiliar. They sang, talked, and yelled. All I could do was try to pay attention and hope for the best clarity. I pictured each person speaking, their expressions to match their words.

"She's Reece's little sister. For goodness sakes, she's Matthew's daughter. Don't you think it's about time she found out?" Emily, soft toned and a caring face. When I pictured her in my head, it was her face as it normally was. Before, right after her accident, I'd close my eyes and picture her perfectly smooth face. Now, it came naturally to think of her with them. She was more beautiful with them anyway. "She's not a child anymore. She can handle it."

"I've already talked about this with Embry." Sam, authoritative and orderly. "She will not know. Her mother made it very clear that she will not know, and I will not go against her wishes."

"How will we explain all the bite marks?" Jared, inquisitive and baby faced. His lisp was more distinct, which probably meant he was thinking very hard.

"We'll think of a way." Paul, ominous, his brow furrowed in concentration. I smiled when I thought of his face all scrunched up. I waited for Embry's voice, the velvet, rustic voice I'd hear more often than not in my dreams. But it didn't show, and I was slightly disappointed.

"Look, she's smiling at something." Emily again, a small smile cracked on her face.

"Embry's gonna be pissed." Jacob, sarcastic and smirking, ignoring Emily's comment.

"He's already pissed." Quil, so innocent sounding and carefree.

I felt warm with the voices surrounding me. I felt safe, I felt at home.

I felt a pained nudge on my arm, and the sunlight resting on my face.

"Gemmaaaa," Paul moaned in my ear like a two year old. "Geeeemmmmmmmmmma."

I mumbled something about shutting up and rolled. I tried keeping my eyes closed to preserve my sleepy state, but it was too late. I was already awake, with the events from the night before flooding back into my mind. Reaching up to touch my head, I saw that my wrist was wrapped, and the back of my neck bandaged. I remembered the wolves, digging their teeth into me, and I shuddered, realizing that it was just a dream. All of it, a hallucination. Or at least, that's what they told me.

"Paul, what do you want?" I cried, feeling my leg stinging.

"I'm hungryyy," he told me, still playing the childish card, touching my shoulder. I took in a sharp breath.

"Everything hurts."

"Take me to the diiiner," he moaned. Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

"Can't you have someone else go with you?"

"No one else is around."

"Where's Embry?" I wanted to know that for more than just him. I wanted to see him last night, but they made him leave.

"He's not here," Paul told me in a slight monotone. Why were they hiding him from me?

"I want Embry." At that, he gave a snort and mumbled something. I flipped around, a little too quickly, and felt more stings. I ignored them as best I could to glare at him. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," he chuckled, rising to his feet. "Come on, you're going to have to walk on it eventually." I moaned in response. "Yeah yeah yeah," he shot at me, sounding annoyed, and grabbed my non wrapped arm. "Here," he said, helping me to my feet. The pain set in, and I let out a whimper. "Aw, c'mon quit being such a chick," he laughed, helping me limp to the kitchen towards the tall front door. I looked around Emily's house. Cute, woodsy furniture, handcrafted by La Push's finest, warm colors. All very homey. In a way, Emily kind of acted as my second mom sometimes, while my mom was always at work. I'd spent so much time here, it was like my first home, and my house was my second.

"I don't know if you noticed, but I _am_ a chick," I told him, gripping his arm tight as he held it out for my balance. He mumbled something else beyond my hearing capacity and I shrugged it off. Whatever he was saying obviously wasn't important. "Can I get a pain killer or something?"

"Sure," he said, leading me back into the kitchen and lifting me gingerly onto the counter by the waist. The cool granite of the counter top felt horrible compared to his hands, so warm, just like Embry's. Why was I missing him so much? Was I feeling bad for shutting him out the night before? Or was it something more?

"Here you go." Paul smiled, handing me a couple of pills and a glass of water, and I took them gratefully, dry swallowing them and then taking a small sip of water as a reinforcement. "Can we get food now?"

"Paul," I moaned, putting my hands on his shoulders to rest. They needed the warmth. "Everything hurts. Why can't I just go back to sleep?"

"Because I'm hungry, and I know you are, too. Let's go to the diner. The guys are there," he told me, in a tone meant to tempt me. But it wasn't his tone; it was his words. The guys. That meant Embry, or at least, I hoped.

"Okay," I said, still undecided. "You're carrying me to the jeep."

"No problem, kiddo," he responded, bending down a little and offering his shoulder. I wrapped my arm around Paul-bear, and he carefully lifted me, pausing every time I would wince from the pain. "Sorry," he would mutter, and then continue outside. It was surprisingly nice out, and when I was sat in the truck, I took a moment to admire my splint, how carefully it was weaved. He hopped into the driver's seat and drove off, making sure the ride was as comfortable as possible.

"Hey, Paul," I started, putting my hand on his to stop him from exiting the truck once we had parked in the parking lot of the only and most popular diner in town.

"Yeah?"

"That guy... Johnathon... He didn't, like..." I raised an eyebrow and widened my eyes to try and hint what I was getting at, without actually saying it.

"No," he reacted quickly. "We got to him before he did anything."

I simply nodded. "Thank you."

"Here," he said, hopping out of the vehicle and rushing to my side to help me out. I took his arm for balance gratefully. He was a good crutch.

"Rachel's a lucky girl," I commented nonchalantly as he opened the front door for both of us, never letting his arm weaken under my grasp. I spotted my friends immediately. They always sat at the same table in the corner. It was the only one to accommodate their large size.

The diner, aptly named "Sue's Diner" was owned and run by Sue Clearwater, a family friend to almost everybody. It was a typical restaurant, not unlike a Denny's, with lots of closely packed tables, squeaky chairs, and famous La Push news clippings on the wall. (I'd never seen a purpose for the La Push newspaper other than the need for jobs in the community. Word spread around this town faster than a wildfire. Which came in handy, because we experienced wildfires daily during the summer months and usually needed help putting them out.) When the boys ate, their bills were always 50 off, so I'd always bring one with me whenever I was hungry. I scanned each of their faces for the particular one I was looking for, but he wasn't present, and I felt disappointed. The whole reason I had pushed myself to come was to see Embry-bear, and he wasn't even there.

"And then he screamed, and you just went _snap_-" Jared was reenacting a story, and he moved his hands to look like he was breaking someones neck. "It was awesome."

"Hey Gemma!" Jacob called, looking towards Jared warningly. Jared turned to see me, along with Quil, Sam and Emily.

"Hey guys," I announced, now realizing how tired and hoarse my voice sounded.

"Nice pants," Jared commented, scooting over to allow me to sit down. Confused, I looked down. I hadn't thought about it before—someone had changed me the night before. If they hadn't, I would still be in a ripped up black dress and red heels. Now, however, I was in a tightly fitting tank top and pajama pants, with little baby wolves printed on them. This was the change of clothes that I kept at Emily's, in case I needed to crash there. Good thing, too.

I chuckled, and it hurt, but I kept up my game face. "Thanks," I said, and the waitress brought me a huge milkshake.

"Hope you don't mind, we ordered for you," Quil spoke up, picking up his fork. The table was packed with plates of food, and I was surprised that the waitresses didn't completely hate them, or at the very least, the cooks. I nearly gagged when I saw the combinations of food, some of which I had invented myself then grew to hate.

Now, however, I was not questioning taste. I slurped up a large portion of whipped cream from my milkshake, saving the cherry for last, and popped a large hash brown in my mouth. I paused, realizing that the guys had all stopped to stare at me. "What?" I asked, mouth full. "I'm hungry."

"Real attractive," Quil joked, taking a large bite of scrambled eggs. I nodded sarcastically and continued to eat.

"So," I started, but when I saw a piece of food fly from my mouth, I stopped to swallow, then began again. "So... Where's Embry?"

"Homework," Sam commented quietly. "He had to catch up from what he skipped the other day." The others seemed to drop their eyes. I analyzed each of their expressions and then looked back to him.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He doesn't want to see anyone, I'm sure you can understand," he told me, no one else bothering to speak up. Since when was he the representative of the whole clan?

"No," I muttered quietly, wanting more of an answer. Embry would never do homework on a Sunday, not unless I was there.

"He feels bad for last night." Everyone looked up to him, and he continued. "He feels like he should have gotten to you sooner."

"But why? I'm fine," I explained, taking a nibble out of a piece of toast. "Maybe I just need to talk to him."

"No," Sam piped, and for some reason, though we were eye level, I felt as if he was cowering over me. His eyes swam in anger, and I tore my eyes away from them for a moment to see what everyone else was looking at; the spoon that had fallen victim to his clenched fist. It was pretty warped, and bending even further as steam seemed to shoot from his ears, and I bit back a laugh picturing him as a cartoon. "He's just fine. He'll talk to you when he's ready." Then, he turned back to his food coldly. I looked at him for a moment more before taking another small bite.

After finishing my food, which tasted like cardboard for the rest of the awkward meal, I stood and tried to maintain my own balance as I walked out.

"Hey, Gemma!" Emily called, chasing after me. She was so beautiful, and her silky raven black hair shined as it waved behind her. Catching up to me easily, she walked beside me, not bothering to help me into one of the cars. She knew I didn't feel like riding home with any of them. I always felt so short around the La Push people, who were mostly built like bears. But Emily was only a bit taller than me, and it made me feel bigger, older. I appreciated her so much more merely because of this.

We were silent as we walked down the road. Rather, she walked, and I hobbled. The pain killers had already begun to wear off, and I was starting to wince at the pain again. She understood that I had my pride, and I didn't want to talk about it.

"Will you tell me what happened last night?" I asked. If what I had seen was a hallucination, then I was curious as to what really occurred that had sparked my imagination like that.

"Well," she began, knowing I probably wouldn't want to hear it from anyone else, "from what I understand, that guy slipped something into your drink, and he took you outside and dragged you into the woods," she explained softly, as if trying to tip toe around my feelings. She knew me better than that. "The guys noticed you were gone, and they saw you leave, and they followed. Then they sort of... kicked his butt," she said. She had such a sweet personality, never wanting to curse. "You got a little caught up in the crossfire, I guess, and you hit your head really hard, and broke your wrist."

"What happened to my leg?" I asked, still not sure what had happened to make my leg sting so horribly.

"I don't know. I wasn't there. You'd be better off asking Jared or Quil."

"Why not Embry?"

"What?" she asked, as if she'd never heard the name before.

"Embry. You said I could ask Jared or Quil. Why not Embry?"

"I don't know, he's upset. He probably doesn't want to talk about it." Bull shit. They were hiding something from me about him, and I wanted to know what it was. After all, he was my best friend. Did they think I wouldn't be concerned or something?

After she walked me home, I began to plot. Plot how I was going to hobble all the way to his house without being noticed.


	7. This Sucks Maybe

7. This Sucks...Maybe

Embry

Gemma would never find me.

I ran through the woods at a million miles an hour; surely tears would have been raining out of my face, had I been human. But I wasn't. I was a wolf.

I ran for nearly a week straight, stopping only when necessary, to eat, trying to clear my mind. School wasn't any of my concern. Hell, it hadn't even been a concern before. I was following an order now, an order to stay away from Gemma, and I had to follow it whether I liked it or not.

Every so often, Jared or one of the other guys would change and check up on me.

_Where are you?_ They'd ask.

_Dunno_, I'd reply. _Somewhere in North Dakota._

And then they'd be gone again, off to tell Sam I hadn't violated his word.

It was killing me not to see Gemma. Sometimes the aches I felt weren't from running, but from my longing to see her. I needed to know how she was doing, how she was healing.

After a week, I'd stopped counting. Everything had escaped from my mind except her face, even where I was. If I was to guess, I'd have to say I was gone about a month after the last time I'd heard anyone's voice in my head before I heard Sam.

_Embry_, he said calmly. No one else was there, I could feel it. It was me and Sam, one on one once more, only this time there was half a country between us. He knew I saw her face, because he could see it himself; my thoughts and impressions being poured into his own sight.

_How is she?_ I dared to ask. I wanted nothing more than to know she was safe. Well, of course, I wanted her in my arms again, but that wasn't going to happen.

_She's healing quickly, and more and more anxious to see you every day._

_How is her leg? _I asked, praying that I hadn't hurt her too badly.

_It will heal. Emily has been delaying taking the bandages off. We don't want her to see the teeth marks._

I was already getting mad again, but I couldn't tackle him now. I growled and gnawed a huge branch from a tree, throwing it as far as I could. Of course, he couldn't see that. All he could hear were my thoughts.

_I messed up, okay Sam? Can I just... come home? _I pleaded, trying to get her face out of my mind for at least a second. He had to know I wasn't playing around.

_ Do you think you're ready? _ He asked.

_I'm ready. _

_ There will be conditions. _ As soon as I heard that statement, I spun in place, darting off. I could come home. Finally.

_First, you will not tell Gemma where you have been._

_ Are you kidding me? _ I screamed, still pushing myself to run faster than I ever had before.

_Next, _he continued, seemingly unaffected by my protests. _You will not tell her about what really happened that night. _

_ What's the point of coming home then, _ I retorted dully, slowing my blinding run to a jog.

_Do you want to see her or not?_

_ Of course I want to see her. God dammit Sam, _ I growled. _Everyone, _everyone_ knows how much I love her. Everyone except her. It sucks, man. Why can't you just let me have my way? Just once?_

_ Did I say you couldn't date her? _ He interrupted dully. Did I just hear him wrong? My slow jog continued, and I huffed. _Reece has reluctantly agreed. As_ long_ as it's okay with her, it's okay with the pack. But no secret telling. I'm not kidding._

_ I won't let you down, Sam. _

And then my head was empty aside from my own thoughts of Gemma.


	8. The Moment

8. The Moment

Gemma

I ran through the woods, breathing hard. Something was after me, I could sense it, though I'd never actually seen anything. The breaking of twigs, the rustling of fallen leaves screamed a warning, and I took it. I was dodging trees, my agility astonishing me. Then, it was dark. I felt teeth sink into me. When I cried out, no sounds were heard, not even a whisper. I screamed louder, but it didn't matter. It wasn't working. Nobody could hear me. The teeth sank deeper, tearing at not only my flesh but also my soul, and I chose to face it: death. I was ready, ready for it to take me in its cold, bony hands, away to a place of unknown.

Slowly though, the pain eased, and I regained my vision. I was staring up into the dead trees around me, and I turned frantically for whatever had attacked me, only to find that it had disappeared. Looking down, my leg wasn't even bleeding, or even scratched. What was happening? Pacing myself, hearing nothing now but the sound of my heavy, struggled breathing, I stood, looking around. I took a step back and felt dead bark against me. I hugged the tree; it gave me a small sense of safety. Cover. Then I heard the growls once again. _What is happening?_ I thought desperately, refusing to play these mind games with myself.

The darkness returned, and so did the pain. It ripped at me, eating not only my leg now, but my entire body as well, and then a bright light hit me.

I woke up.

I heard a heavy breathing, one that wasn't mine. Opening my eyes, I saw two eyes staring me back. I screamed, but a blazing hot bear-hand covered my mouth, muffling my sounds.

"Shh, shh, Gemma it's okay." Could it be? It was too good to be true. I'd dreamed about him for a month and a half. He'd been my best friend, but he disappeared, left me without warning. Moving from under my covers, I sat up, still staring into the eyes of dream-Embry-bear, my own orbs shot open.

"Hi," I whispered, sitting up. I hardly cared that I was dressed in a tight tank and my boxers. I was dreaming, after all. What did it matter?

"Hi," he whispered back. This wasn't like when I usually dreamed of him. "I missed you," I told him, a big stupid grin plastered on my face and my eyelids dropping tiredly. I hesitantly reached up to touch his face, something my dreams had never allowed me to do before. But no, when my colds hands reached his skin, he stayed right where he was, solid as ever. My brow furrowed and I put my other hand to his cheek.

"Gemma, I missed you so much," he cooed, putting his hands on each side of my waist and pulling me in tight for a hug. My mouth open, I found myself drooling onto dream-Embry's chest and I wrapped my arms around him. Why were my dreams being so cruel to me? Why would my head dangle this beautiful creature in front of me, only to rip him away in the morning? I began sobbing, and instead of pulling me away, he only held me closer. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice cracking as he spoke up.

"Why?" I cried, unable to stop the tears from flowing. My wrist was throbbing, and so was the leg that I was sitting on. The blood was rushing to my head, and I felt dizzy.

"Why what?" He asked, squeezing me tighter than ever. It was hard to breath, and the room was stuffy.

"Why is this happening? Why can't I have you outside of my dreams?" I choked. "It's not fair!" I slammed my fist into his chest.

"Hey, hey hey hey," he called to me, prying me away from him. "It's not a dream! You're awake Gemma," he told me, cupping my small-by-comparison head in his dark, smooth hands.

"No," I continued, crying harder even now. I gripped his dream-arms with my hands, my wrist completely throbbing. "No no no no no!" I screamed. My bedroom door flung open, and light flooded into the room. The silhouette of my brother stepped in. He glanced to Embry, then to me, then back to Embry. Then, he turned and walked back out, slamming the door on his way out.

I was surprised that the loud noise didn't force me into consciousness. I just sat there, balling for a moment before turning back to Embry.

"Gemma. You're _awake_," he persisted, slapping my face lightly. I blinked a few times, before a worried look plagued my expression. I yanked myself away from his touch, offended.

"What is wrong with you?!" I yelled, and then Reece was back into the scene. He was shooting Embry-bear daggers.

"Embry," he said warningly.

"No... it's okay," I told him, tossing my gaze back to my long lost friend. "Can you just... give us a minute?" I asked tiredly. Damn. And it was a school night.

"Make it fast," Reece grumbled, leaving the room once more, and slamming the door twice as hard.

"He might as well take the thing off its hinges," Embry laughed, but I interrupted his enjoyment with a hard slap to the face. He paused, frozen in place. I noticed my breathing had increased, and I was still crying.

"Why?!" I screeched, realizing that I had struck him with my injured arm, which only increased the pain. I cradled it in my other hand, tears rolling down my face. "Why would you leave me like that?! I snuck over to your house every night for a week waiting for you! I cried for a month! Why would you disappear like that?!"

"Gemma, Gem I'm so sorry," he told me, reaching towards me. I pulled back a little, avoiding eye contact now. "Please. I can't explain much. After what happened to you, I couldn't come back... not until now. I wasn't ready. But I was thinking of you the whole time. You're my best friend." He was trying so hard, but I cried harder. I didn't realize how much I had needed him until he disappeared. After that, he seemed like my everything. With my silence, he persisted. "Gemma please, I'm so sorry. I really am. You don't know how much I want to tell you everything. I just can't." How much longer was I going to make him suffer? Until he'd felt the pain that I had, I decided.

"You know how far behind you are in school now?" I questioned, completely ignoring his pleads for forgiveness.

"No, I don't care about that. I really don't. I just want us to be good again."

"I don't know, Em."

He closed his eyes, slowly reaching his hand out to touch my face again. I grabbed it quickly before he could touch me, then slowly, I stopped fighting him. He brushed the hair from my eyes, his warmth radiating into my body. I felt complete again. My eyelids fluttered shut, and soon, I was crying again. He adjusted his hand, sliding it under my hair, across my jaw line, and to the back of my neck. It was still wrapped, but he didn't seem to notice as he pulled me close, pushing against the still healing wound. I let out another pained sob.

Embry stopped. He knew I hurt. Keeping me close, he brushed the hair out of my face to see the bandage.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, leaning in closer, his breath heating the skin on my neck; I trembled nervously. We'd been this close before, but for some reason, I felt closer to him than ever, and it scared me. I felt soft, foreign lips graze the area beside the gauze, and my eyelids were shut again, forcing out as many tears as they could.

"Embry," I whispered, so quietly I was almost inaudible. But he heard me, and pulled away, only to see he had formed his own eye moisture. "Embry," I said more frantically, taking his face in my small, pale hands and yanking it away from my neck. He closed his eyes. He'd obviously been waiting for this as long as I had.

I reached up and let my fingertips gingerly force his eyelids closed, keeping my hand over his face. "Embry," I repeated, merely for the sake of hearing his name aloud after, for so long, all of my friends had blatantly avoided using the word. He leaned in. I pushed, my hands quickly shooting from his face to his hands, now probing my stomach and waist. "You need to go."


	9. Ta Da!

9. Ta Da!

Gemma

Isn't it a cliché to fall in love with your best friend? Did that necessarily make it wrong?

I awoke the next morning, still completely unsure whether the night before was a dream, or if it had actually happened like I really wanted it to. Hobbling down the stairs, I figured I'd soon find out.

Descending into the kitchen, I saw my dream coming to life: Embry, hunched on a breakfast bar stool, drinking a glass of chocolate milk and talking to Reece. His ears perked like a puppy, and he nearly snapped his neck turning his head to look at me. His dark, milky eyes greeted me before his breathtaking smile. Tiredly, my hair probably in knots, I shuffled towards the kitchen, digging through the refrigerator and finding only a jug of orange juice. Righting myself, I downed the entire jug in nearly one gulp. Damn I was thirsty; I concluded that it was from my mouthwatering experience the night before.

"Hey precious," Reece said with a grin, poking me in the side as I tossed the now empty jug into the trash can. I was still in my baggy boxers and tight tank, and, feeling the carpet between my toes, I went and sat onto the couch. Nearly sensing by the weight of the atmosphere, I could feel them exchange glares. Then, my ears followed the sound of padded footsteps and a large mass of being plopped onto the couch next to me. I turned my head the opposite way, knowing the smell: Embry.

"Good morning," he said softly. So, if he _had_ been there last night, why had he gone in my bedroom, kissed my neck? I could never picture him sharing the same feelings for me that I had for him.

"'Morning," I responded coldly, folding my arms and tucking my legs under me, snapping out of the memory of last night and remembering that I was still mad at him. A million thoughts were going through my head, but the primary one was the mental picture of slapping Embry hard across the face. I desperately wanted to do it again. What was worse, he'd actually held me as I cried. Since when was I such a chick?

"Hey," Embry started, glaring at Reece, who then exited the room. "Can we talk?"

"I don't think I want to," I responded from my curled up ball on the couch. He reached to touch my arm, and I yanked away.

"Gemma, you're burning up," he commented. I hadn't noticed it before, but now that he'd mentioned it, I realized that I was turning warm. Blazing hot, actually, and I began to sweat.

"Probably cos I'm so pissed," I responded through my teeth. "I think I need some air," I told him, standing and walking out the door. Now, as the heat seemed to shoot in rays from my body, I stood and took in the breezy fall air. I looked to see Reece on the porch.

"Yeah, I know," he said, reading my angered expression. He obviously wasn't too happy about Embry returning either. I normally would have plopped down next to him with a sigh of defeat, but I was too tense. I could barely move, I felt so stressed. The thoughts in my head were running a muck, colliding with one another and causing my head to throb. I looked down to my hands. They were shaking. _Maybe if I take this stupid bandage off_, I thought. Just as Sam and Jared arrived to witness it, I ripped the splint off of my arm. It should have been another three months before it healed, according to Emily, but it seemed fine to me. I moved my sweating fingers around a bit, then turned my wrist to see the bite marks.

"No," Sam called, jumping out of the car and rushing towards me. I started trembling more intensely, and I felt a grumbling sound emerge from my chest. I choked for a moment, and he backed up. Everything had been true. The hallucinations they'd denied for so long, about the alien and the wolves, all true. The bite marks were proof. "Reece! Change, now."

"Now?" Reece questioned, standing from his spot on the porch.

"Now!" Sam screamed. And suddenly, the moment I'd relived in my nightmares far too long came vividly to life, all at once. I turned in time to see Reece darting towards the woods, stopping just within the trees and doing the thing that I knew I had seen before. He turned into a wolf. Not just any wolf, however. He towered over most of us, with sleek black fur, and golden brown eyes. Then, Sam and Jared repeated the process, not bothering to run to the woods.

I felt funny, like I was going to pass out. I felt angry; I knew they had kept this secret from me. I knew I hadn't been crazy that night. Then, my vision was clouded, and all I saw was red.

Next thing I knew, I was on all fours, and growling wildly up at the wolves surrounding me.

_G-Gemma?_ It was Reece's voice, that was for sure, but he hadn't spoken. He'd only emerged from the outskirts of the woods, giving me an astonished stare.

_What the hell, _I thought, feeling myself growling again. Or was I purring? I wasn't quite sure. What was happening to me? The wind picked up, and I felt it all over me: fur.

_Gemma, this is Sam. Can you hear me? _I spun my head towards the wolf which stood in Sam's place, growing more angry.

_What's happening to me? _I thought to myself.

_Aw, look how cute she is, _Jared piped in. Maybe I was just crazy. I was having another hallucination, hearing voices...

_Gemma you're not crazy, _Sam's voice told me, his eyes staring deep into mine.

_ Get... Get out of my head! _ I screamed internally, and I couldn't help but try and voice it. Nothing came out but a large howl, and I began to dig at my ears, trying to make it go away. I paused, staring at my hands. They weren't hands, though. They were... They were paws. _W-What..._ I thought, trembling.

_Gem, just take it easy, _Sam ordered me. I tried to calm down, but I couldn't. What the hell was I? Was I the same kind of monster I had seen in the woods that night, the same kind that tried to kill me?

Then, I snapped, lunging at my brother, the wolf. My speed scared me, and before I knew it, I was snarling and scratching and biting at the wolf.

_I knew it! You guys tried to kill me!_ I screamed at them, knowing now that they could all hear me.

I could hear the echo of Reece's laugh in my head.

_What is so funny?! _I demanded to know, viciously pulling away from him and staring hard.

_You're just so... cute_, he responded with another internal chuckle.

_I told you, dude_, Jared added.

My breathing was more intense than ever, and I looked up to Sam's wolf.

_What are you talking about?_ I asked. _What are you laughing at?!_

_ Guys, don't upset her. Gemma, follow me_ , he replied calmly, authoritative, and he trotted into the woods. Reece rolled to his paws and followed cheerfully. J_ared, go inside. Make sure Embry stays there. _As I headed to follow Sam, feeling weird walking on all fours and wondering how I knew to attack my brother in the first place, I stopped in front of a window of my house, seeing my reflection.

I was short, way shorter than any of them. I was definitely taller than a regular wolf, but I was also small compared to Sam, Reece, and Jared. They were making fun of my height. Before I could stare at my own snout any longer, I huffed to Sam.

_Embry. _I repeated, not able to block out the picture of him staring down at me in bed from the night before._ He's one of you, too. _I felt an almost physical tug, though no one was around me, and I was compelled to follow my brother and friend deeper into the woods.


	10. The Rules

10. The Rules

Gemma

**One**: Live as a pack, die as a pack.

**Two:** Respect your elders, and above all, respect your alpha. You must follow any and all of his orders, whether you agree with him or not.

**Three**: You must not tell any outsiders about the pack, no matter what the circumstances.

**Four**: If you imprint, orders will be given from the alpha as to how to proceed further.

**Five**: If a vampire is discovered, orders will be given from the alpha as to how to proceed further.

**Six**: You're a new wolf. You must be as careful as you possibly can. Any small temper can result in repercussions.

**Seven**: We've got a girl in the pack now. That means _no_ funny business with the other pack members.


	11. Needing Answers

11. Needing Answers

Gemma

This was so messed up. I was a monster. Why? Who chose this cruel, disgusting fate for me, or worse, my friends? Why were they chosen? How did it even work?

I walked back toward my house, only to see Jared and Embry long gone. Sam said that he didn't want me talking to Embry, "fraternizing" with him, as long as we were in the same pack together, because it would get in the way of our zombie slaying. Or vampires. Whatever. Brains, blood, what was the difference? All I knew: it was my job to protect the locals now. Their safety and innocence had to be preserved, no matter what the cost.

The whole situation was embarrassing. Not only was my wolf way smaller compared to the others, but when I changed for the first time, my clothes had ripped off, and I had to ask one of the others to fetch me clothes from my room. Most embarrassing, though, was the fact that I couldn't get Embry out of my head, especially when all the guys could hear and see me reliving the night before. Him, touching my face, my waist, me crying into his chest. All of it. They saw it.

Finally, Paul emerged from my room, giggling in his human form, which was decorated with only a fringed pair of shorts. He was clutching one of my tank tops in his hand, with a bikini top and an mix matched pair of short shorts. I huffed at him with a glare, knowing that he obviously chose the skimpiest outfit he could find in my room.

He held it out like an offering, and I gripped it with my teeth, yanking it from his hand and nearly ripping the shirt itself. Chuckling, he crouched down, glowering at me through his lashes with a smirk on his face. "You're so short," he laughed, patting my head and rising back to his feet. He was taller than me in his human form. I jumped up, smacking his hand away with my newly gained snout, and trotted back into the woods, finding a secluded enough spot to change back into my human form. Only problem was, I couldn't figure out how in the hell to do it. Standing like an idiot for about ten minutes.

_Concentrate_, I heard my alpha's voice ringing in my head. Could he see me? I glanced around for a second. _I can't see you. I could hear you. Just take a breath, concentrate hard. You'll get the hang of it, he coached gently._

_Thank you Sam_, I told him awkwardly, listening close to see if he would say anything else. But the line was dead.

I stood for another five minutes, taking in all the new smells of the woods. They were basically the same scents, but enhanced. I could smell the moisture in the air, the tree sap, and the stream. My ears opened up, letting in all the sounds, letting them fill most of my concentration, slowing my breathing. Then, my ears closed up so quickly, they popped, and I got a migraine. I realized that I was on two legs now, bare naked, and I quickly reached for my clothes, slipping them on discretely and jogging back towards the clearing in front of my house barefooted to find one of the guys. Passing by the same window I had once observed my wolf figure in, I paused to take in my human form.

I looked different, somehow. Maybe it was just coming from a different perspective, but I felt like I could reach out my paw and feel a short snout on my face. It was gone though, my shoulder-length shimmery brown hair in knots and my eyes glassy. My skin, though still a milky pink shade, somehow felt rougher, darker. I was changed, that was for sure. I put my hand to the glass, touching my own hand on the cool pane, then I turned and hopped onto the porch and back inside, seemingly more agile.

"Hello?" I called hopelessly, knowing that Jared would have disappeared with Embry by now. They didn't want us seeing each other, especially not after what Sam saw in my head, the tingling I felt from the memory of his lips on my neck, even if it was only for a brief moment. Reece felt it too, as much as he probably didn't want to. Weird much?

I went into the kitchen, not knowing what I expected. The fridge to be suddenly filled with supplies for my snackage? To my dismay, that was not the case, and I stuck to drinking a gulp of water straight from the kitchen sink.

"Damn," I heard someone comment behind me. At first, I figured my shorts had ridden up as I bent over, but then I realized the tone sounded disgusted, not amused. "Put that shit away, Gemma," Reece commented, jumping over the back of the couch and getting comfortable, his eyes already glued to the TV.

"Reece," I sighed, walking over to him. I rubbed the back of my neck, where the bandage had been before I changed, and I realized the one on my leg was probably gone too. I sat down, but it wouldn't be for long. "Wanna buy your newly initiated sister lunch?" I asked politely, resting my chin on his shoulder. Our body temperatures nearly matched now.

"How about not? And that wasn't your initiation." I ignored the latter statement, making a note to ask about it later.

"C'mon, I'm hungry!" I moaned, secretly hoping that the rest of the pack would be there.

"Me too," he declared, standing. I stood at his side, following him out to his jeep. All the guys had 'em. Must have been a wolf thing. I hoisted myself with ease into the passenger seat, not bothering to sit.

"Onward!" I shouted, and we were off.

Pulling up to the diner, I jumped out before the car was even in park.

"Gemma, calm down!" Reece commanded, but I didn't have to listen to him. Instead, I took my 103° hand and threw open the door, quickly scanning the place. My eyes shot to the corner table, and sure enough, there sat Jared, Sam, Quil... No Embry. What the hell?

Acting a little put out, I shuffled over, putting on a smile as I placed myself into the booth.

"There's our newest edition!"

"Aw, she's such a cute pup, Quil, you shoulda seen her," Paul exclaimed, pinching my cheek playfully. I slapped him away and took a bite of his cheeseburger.

"I'm starving," I told them, annoyed with their conversations.

"That's a wolf thing," Jared informed me.

"So," I started, my mouth full. "Where's Embry?" I looked back down to the cheeseburger in my hand; I knew they wouldn't mention my memory, but they were sure thinking about it as if it were theirs to think.

"Let's not talk about this now," Sam suggested, and everyone seemed to not mind, or at the very least, felt the need to obey. I, however, was more determined.

"Sam, why can't I see him?"

"I didn't say you couldn't."

"Well you obviously don't want me to."

"He's going through some stuff."

"He was aloud to see me last night. Why is today any different?"

"Because last night you were not one of us, and today, you are." I stared him down for a long time before taking another bite out of Paul's burger.

"Please, Sam," Jared retorted with his usual smirk. "This pup's always been one of us," he cackled, throwing his arm around me and locking my head tight enough to give me a noogie. I screeched and pushed him back, or rather, myself. I ended up pushing so hard, I released myself from his grip and slid so far into the seat, I knocked Paul out of the booth. Everyone was paused, staring at me, and, my morning hair still a mess, I stood, and, stepping over Paul's flabbergasted heap of a body from the floor, staring up at me, I exited the building, cheeseburger in hand. I could hear their voices through the thin layer of bricks that housed the establishment.

"Go," Sam shot to Paul. "And wipe the look from your face."

All I wanted was to see my best friend. Why was Sam such a _jerk_? Why did he want me so unhappy? I was going to ask the one person (other than him) who really knew. Emily. Really, I didn't even care about answers anymore. I knew he would be there.

I didn't wait long enough to see Paul trail me to get into my brothers jeep and drive off, speeding away. Sucker'd always left his keys in the ignition.


	12. Too Much

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Anyways, here's the next chapter. Hope anyone who's still reading likes it!!**

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12. Too Much

Gemma

I pulled erratically into Emily's driveway. I wouldn't have much time. Paul would be close behind me.

From the outside, Ms. Young's home looked a little worn and tired, an old, tall log cabin that some rumored was ancient as the La Push legends themselves. The brightly colored red door swung open, revealing an exhausted looking Emily. Dammit. Somebody'd warned her.

"Gemma," she said quickly, but as fast as she had rushed towards the car, I'd jumped out to meet her half way.

"Emily," I told her, looking up into her eyes. How was it that I was so God damned short in comparison to everyone else? She pulled me in close.

"I never thought this would happen to you, Gem," she whispered, and for a moment, I seemed not to respond to the hug. Only after a minute of her body swaying mine gently did I return the gesture. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied to you about everything, but I have my loyalties," she explained sympathetically. Though I was burning up now, I felt cold hearted.

"Emily," I started seriously, pulling her away with my newly obtained strength, staring into her dark, comforting eyes. "Is Embry here," I asked slowly. She just looked at me, then she brushed my hair out of my face and over to one side of my shoulder, revealing my scars, which had turned out to be wolf bite marks. _Way to go, boys, tear me to pieces much?_ I had commented to them in the clearing that morning after I realized the same fate had struck my leg.

"Sam's made a new rule," she informed me, though she probably figured I already knew.

"I don't care. I'm not 'fraternizing' with him. I just want to see him," I told her sincerely. It was the truth. I didn't care how much I truly longed for him to hold me close like he had the night before. I just needed my best friend. After more of her silent gaze, I began again, taking a deep breath. After all, I was a new wolf. I had to control my temper. "Em... He's-"

"Your best friend," she interrupted knowingly, and I nodded. She threw her head to the side, motioning towards the house, and I couldn't help but grin a thank you as I ran past her and nimbly jumped the stairs into the house.

His smell hit me first. I hadn't yet smelled Embry since I'd become a wolf, and it hit me harder than I first expected. I took in a large whiff, savoring it, letting it fill my mind, letting it lift me. Then, he stepped around the corner.

The most beautiful creature I'd ever seen.

I think I drooled a little.

Or a lot.

"Gemma." His voice was a sledgehammer to the head, except for the fact that it came with no pain. It merely hammered the chills into my skin, and I couldn't help but pause my breathing to take in the sight of him. He was dirty; he'd obviously just come in from running, running from me, on an order. Wearing nothing but a pair of swim trunks, his bare feet padded over quickly to where I stood.

I was numb. I had been all my life, I realized, until he'd touched me in that very moment. He grabbed my arm, his long fingers nearly engulfing the sight of the hideous scars on my wrist. I didn't realize it before, but my jaw was hanging slightly, and he suppressed a laugh. The sound made my knees weak.

I didn't understand, but I didn't care. I was within his arms reach, at least for the time being, and it took all my strength not to rip his shorts off right there. The lust was outrageous, and I finally gulped in a large breath, assuming my face had taken to turning a purple color. I lunged into his arms, hugging him close to me, tightly.

"Wow," he grinned, most likely a shot at my fresh muscle power, and wrapped his Embry-arms around my being. I felt complete. Soon, the lust seemed to fade a little, and my once heightened sense of smell returned to normal, still more sensitive than before I had changed. Whatever I had just felt, it was only for a moment. It could have been a split second for all I knew, but to me, it had been a lifetime. Standing there in his arms, I felt for the very first time that day that everything was going to be okay, and I let out a sob before I even knew I was going to cry. "Shh," he cooed in my ear, resting his chin on the top of my head, running his fingertips over the bite marks on the back of my bare neck. "It's okay."

I hugged him tighter. I needed him closer, closer than was physically possible. I wanted our souls to embrace, to link hands and never let go.

"Sam," I tried to explain, "Sam wouldn't let me see you." I couldn't even compose an entire sentence.

"You're a wolf," he laughed in disbelief, avoiding the subject. For some reason, I sensed that if I tried pulling out of his grasp, it would cause me pain. Real, physical pain. But I couldn't help it. I needed to swim in his comfortable gaze. Bracing myself, I pried my body away. The pain didn't come, and I looked up at him, nearly melting when he looked at me back. I stared into his eyes.

"Yeah," I finally retorted, short and simple. I couldn't speak in long increments. It was too difficult with the amount of ogling I was doing. He smiled again, and my knees wobbled. I felt like I could have fainted into a puddle right on Emily's rustic hardwood floors.

"I heard you're a short one, too. Like a baby wolf," he continued, jokingly. Normally, that would have earned him a fist bump from Reece, and a slap in the arm from me. But I couldn't move my hands, still wrapped at his waist. His hand found my hair and he entangled his finger in the locks and knots.

Then, an Indian call invaded the temporary, fragile solitude, making me jump. I turned to see Paul hurry into the room.

"Dude, Gemma, Sam's pretty pissed. You'd better get back," he announced insensitively, clearly unaware that we were having a moment. At least, _I_ was having one. He examined me for a moment, folding his arms before transferring the same look to Embry. "The rules, Gemma," he reminded me, staring long and hard into his eyes.

"Screw the rule," I replied sharply, in more of a harsh tone than I had originally intended. I pivoted myself to look at him, my back to Embry's chest. "We're not doing anything."

"Yeah, Paul," Embry added to back me up. I closed my eyes at the sound of his voice so close to my ear. "Back off."

"Alpha's orders," Paul told him with a shrug, though his voice got a little quieter. My eyes slowly unclosed, and I seemed to want to lean back and fall into my best friend's arms. "Wait..." He paused, turning to exchange looks with Emily, who was now standing in the doorway, watching me. "Dude, no way-" he started as he turned back to us. I felt Embry's rough hands touch my waist protectively, though he was behind me.

"I know that look," Emily said softly with a smile.

"No way! Oh god, Reece is gonna flip!" Paul said excitedly.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, still feeling a little dizzy from the close proximity of Embry's hands and body.

"Ah!" Paul yelled in an obviously amused tone, rushing back out the door with his loudest Indian celebration call. I was confused. "Guys!" he shouted. I could sense my kin there. Reece, Quil... Sam... "Guess what certain little wolf pup just imprinted!?"

That would explain everything. My constant longing for him, my sudden increase in lust, my recurring dreams. They were all signs, and though I'd pondered them constantly, I had also blatantly ignored what was right in front of me.

I'd just imprinted on my best friend Embry Call.


	13. Defiance

13. Defiance

Embry

Did I hear that right? Paul and Emily thought Gemma, my best friend and a wolf who'd only been part of the pack one day, imprinted on me? It was crazy. It was ridiculous. It was, in a way, what I truly wanted more than anything.

Quil, Reece, Paul, and Sam all gathered within the kitchen, Emily following them. Sam looked royally pissed, and it only made me feel the need to pull Gemma closer. So I did. My alpha stared at the hands I had resting in each of my girls' hip bones, as if he was trying to set them on fire with his vision; then, his glare transferred to my eyes. Slowly, feeling cowardice beneath his gaze, I took a step back, reluctantly letting my hands slide away from her body. I saw her shiver, and for a second, I felt like I would too. I was suddenly cold, and even though she was standing right in front of me, I missed her more than ever.

"Alright, let's get this discussion over with right now," Sam barked, folding his arms. As the beta, Paul stood behind him As much as I wanted to rip his head off, I also had to respect that he was merely doing his job.

"Sam," Emily piped in quietly from the corner. "Maybe you guys should take this outside."

Then, we were all back in the same places, save for the fact that we were surrounded by trees. Once we had reached the clearing, I took Gemma's hand, refusing to let go. Reece was shooting me daggers but I didn't care. I had to have her within my reach somehow. It was like she was a magnet, pulling me in closer and closer. I squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back, seemingly just as hard. Paul and Quil seemed to think the whole situation was just hilarious. The rest of us weren't taking it so lightly.

"Guess we know who wears the pants in _this_ relationship," Quil chuckled, and I tried to get my quaking under control. Paul replied with a snort.

"Quiet," Sam snapped. "This is a serious matter."

"Damn straight it is," Reece reinforced, protectively.

"Reece, cool it," Sam told him, and he was instantly quiet. Wolf thing.

"Listen, none of this is anyone's fault."

"The rules say if a wolf imprints, the pack will meet and decide how to take it further," Gemma announced, finally speaking. I looked to study her face for a moment; she was squeezing my hand harder than ever, staring into Sam's eyes hard. Even in the situation, I couldn't get enough of her. Her image was a bottomless glass of ice cold water, and my eyes were forever thirsty.

"Wrong," Sam grumbled. "The rule you were told states that if a wolf is to imprint, orders will be given to the alpha on how to proceed further."

"Sam," she pleaded, taking a step towards him, dragging me along with her by our linked hands. Damn, this girl had some power built up in her small being. Once she got closer to him, however, she seemed more intimidated, and I stepped in.

"How would you feel if someone ordered Emily away?"

"That is not the same," he shot back defensively.

"It's exactly the same, man!" I yelled, still keeping Gemma between the proximity of me and Sam Uley. "Just humor me. Tell me. What would you do?"

"I would do everything in my power to get her back." The clearing was silent for a moment, the tension vibrating off of the trees and shushing every last cricket and tree frog within our area. "However, I can't help but point out the fact that I would never tear an imprint apart, unless they were both wolves."

"What are you saying? We can't love each other and fight together? That it's physically impossible for us?" I asked. When I mentioned the word _love_, Gemma's grip on my hand tightened even more. I had to wonder: Had she felt this way about me before? Or was it just the imprint that had her in love with me?

"No. I am not assuming anything about both of your maturity. At the same time, I can't just allow this to happen."

"What?!" The screams of protest had not only come from me, but also from Gemma, Paul, and Quil as well. Reece remained silent, and I knew he hated me for holding his sisters hand, for stealing her heart, though I technically had no choice in the matter. I wanted Sam on the ground, and my anger was apparent on my face. I wasn't surprised. I hadn't intended to hide it.

"You can't have a say in this," I told him defiantly. "I won't allow it."

"I am your alpha," Sam growled, stepping closer to me. We were the same height, but at this moment, he seemed six feet taller. "And you will not dictate how I run my pack."

"So that's it?" Gemma yelled, ripping her hand from mine angrily. We weren't stupid. Her first day of being a wolf, and she'd already imprinted, on her best friend at that. And now, being told that she wouldn't be allowed to be with him like she clearly wanted, she was ready to burst.

"Gemma," Paul started, stepping up to try and defend his leader. "Gem, try and look at it from both sides." He put his hand on the side of her arm, obviously trying to comfort her, and my nostrils flared.

"How dare you touch her," I muttered. I was upset. And I didn't care. Screw respect. Screw the rules. All that mattered was her, and I couldn't let anything get in the way.

"Embry calm down," he retorted to me, a little annoyed. He _knew_ I hated it when people told me to calm down. I started to tremble, and Sam watched me as I coughed. Then, I felt myself involuntarily reaching for the wolf. I tried taking a step back, feeling a little too close to Gemma at that moment, but it didn't do anything. As I fell back onto all fours, my paw seemed to catch onto her shoulder, and I saw red. She jumped back with a yelp, grabbing her bleeding shoulder, and I growled. I tried concentrating hard to calm myself down, but I couldn't. All I could see was Paul and his smirk, and I lunged.

"Stop," Sam yelled at me, but I didn't obey. I tore into Paul's leg harshly with my claws, and he shouted a cry of pain. Then he transformed under me, biting my neck so hard, I'd first thought he'd killed me. Gemma screamed in protest and fear. I took a step back, for her. This wasn't the first time I'd hurt her, and now she was going to have to pay the price.

_Way to go, Embry_, Paul snapped at me in my head, limping a few steps back. _Way to show Sam how mature you are. _I would have apologized. I knew I should have. But my pride was flaring hand in hand with my temper, and I just couldn't.

_Paul, why is it that everyone gets to have their way except for me? You and Rach-_

Don't _bring Rachel into this._ His stare burned into me, and I stared right back. I was only vaguely aware of the others, still in human form, watching us have a private conversation. _You know what, Embry? You don't deserve to have Gemma. You're not ready. She's way too cool of a chick for you. I mean, look at you. She's brand spanking new to this, and look who's the one losing their cool, attacking their friends and defying their alpha?_

I couldn't stand this. No one seemed to be on our side. Why the hell was it so difficult for things to go my way, just once? No one understood.

"Change, now," Sam ordered, not to the pack, but to me. I looked to him, then, defeated, shot an apologetic look towards my girl and trotted back into the woods where I had an extra pair of shorts buried. However, as soon as I hit the tree line, I regretfully neglected my orders once more and instead of going back to human, I ran all the way back home.

I'd failed Gemma. She needed me to stand up for her, and all I could do was gauge a chunk out of her shoulder and gave her my 'I did my best' look. I was horrible. I was a horrible friend, horrible wolf, horrible example for the _new_ wolf.

Walking into my house stark naked, I slammed each and every door I came in contact with. I grabbed a pair of boxers and athletic shorts, carelessly sliding them on, and paced my house anxiously, undecided. I couldn't go back to the woods now. They'd either be gone or too annoyed to deal with me. I couldn't sit here and do nothing, while Gemma was out in the world without me. I needed her. Wasn't that the whole reason we were in this situation in the first place?

It wasn't long before I noticed the sun start to set, and I had an idea. As I reached for the front door knob, it opened by itself.

"Hey, Em," my mom sighed breathlessly, sliding past me and into the house. I couldn't help but sigh as I watched her dump her bag and keys on the counter, digging through the fridge for something to cook for dinner. This was her usual routine: work, work, come home, work work. I felt bad for being such a bottomless pit all the time, but I also couldn't do anything about it.

"Mom, you don't have to cook me anything," I told her, expecting her usual questions about why. Instead, she just took a breath and closed the fridge, looking relieved.

"Phew, glad I got outta that one," she replied with a small chuckle, sliding off her shoes and sitting onto the couch. She'd had a long day at wherever she worked, and she needed the rest. Was it also horrible of me that I didn't even know where my own mother spent her life working to the bone? It had something to do with the Park Preserve Department of the Greater Olympic Peninsula, and it was a long drive from La Push.

My mom knew about what I was. She knew what 'disease' had affected me, Sam, Quil, and the rest. But she chose to ignore it. She chose to blatantly ignore the fact that I was protecting her and the other locals from the certain death that would occur without us here to guard them from the vampires. She wanted nothing to do with any of it. The only friend of mine she'd ever liked was Gemma. So much for that.

"I'll be back," I told her, specifically not adding a 'soon' or 'later' after it. She didn't seem to notice, and I walked out the front door, barefoot and shirtless.

My feet found their way to the beach, literally a quarter mile from my driveway. I felt the sand between my toes, and it drove me. My plan had been to sit and watch the sunset (however cheesy that may have been) but hearing the waves crashing, I couldn't help but run as fast as I could into the water and dive under as soon as I was deep enough.


	14. Another Reunion

13. Defiance

Embry

Did I hear that right? Paul and Emily thought Gemma, my best friend and a wolf who'd only been part of the pack one day, imprinted on me? It was crazy. It was ridiculous. It was, in a way, what I truly wanted more than anything.

Quil, Reece, Paul, and Sam all gathered within the kitchen, Emily following them. Sam looked royally pissed, and it only made me feel the need to pull Gemma closer. So I did. My alpha stared at the hands I had resting in each of my girls' hip bones, as if he was trying to set them on fire with his vision; then, his glare transferred to my eyes. Slowly, feeling cowardice beneath his gaze, I took a step back, reluctantly letting my hands slide away from her body. I saw her shiver, and for a second, I felt like I would too. I was suddenly cold, and even though she was standing right in front of me, I missed her more than ever.

"Alright, let's get this discussion over with right now," Sam barked, folding his arms. As the beta, Paul stood behind him As much as I wanted to rip his head off, I also had to respect that he was merely doing his job.

"Sam," Emily piped in quietly from the corner. "Maybe you guys should take this outside."

Then, we were all back in the same places, save for the fact that we were surrounded by trees. Once we had reached the clearing, I took Gemma's hand, refusing to let go. Reece was shooting me daggers but I didn't care. I had to have her within my reach somehow. It was like she was a magnet, pulling me in closer and closer. I squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back, seemingly just as hard. Paul and Quil seemed to think the whole situation was just hilarious. The rest of us weren't taking it so lightly.

"Guess we know who wears the pants in _this_ relationship," Quil chuckled, and I tried to get my quaking under control. Paul replied with a snort.

"Quiet," Sam snapped. "This is a serious matter."

"Damn straight it is," Reece reinforced, protectively.

"Reece, cool it," Sam told him, and he was instantly quiet. Wolf thing.

"Listen, none of this is anyone's fault."

"The rules say if a wolf imprints, the pack will meet and decide how to take it further," Gemma announced, finally speaking. I looked to study her face for a moment; she was squeezing my hand harder than ever, staring into Sam's eyes hard. Even in the situation, I couldn't get enough of her. Her image was a bottomless glass of ice cold water, and my eyes were forever thirsty.

"Wrong," Sam grumbled. "The rule you were told states that if a wolf is to imprint, orders will be given to the alpha on how to proceed further."

"Sam," she pleaded, taking a step towards him, dragging me along with her by our linked hands. Damn, this girl had some power built up in her small being. Once she got closer to him, however, she seemed more intimidated, and I stepped in.

"How would you feel if someone ordered Emily away?"

"That is not the same," he shot back defensively.

"It's exactly the same, man!" I yelled, still keeping Gemma between the proximity of me and Sam Uley. "Just humor me. Tell me. What would you do?"

"I would do everything in my power to get her back." The clearing was silent for a moment, the tension vibrating off of the trees and shushing every last cricket and tree frog within our area. "However, I can't help but point out the fact that I would never tear an imprint apart, unless they were both wolves."

"What are you saying? We can't love each other and fight together? That it's physically impossible for us?" I asked. When I mentioned the word _love_, Gemma's grip on my hand tightened even more. I had to wonder: Had she felt this way about me before? Or was it just the imprint that had her in love with me?

"No. I am not assuming anything about both of your maturity. At the same time, I can't just allow this to happen."

"What?!" The screams of protest had not only come from me, but also from Gemma, Paul, and Quil as well. Reece remained silent, and I knew he hated me for holding his sisters hand, for stealing her heart, though I technically had no choice in the matter. I wanted Sam on the ground, and my anger was apparent on my face. I wasn't surprised. I hadn't intended to hide it.

"You can't have a say in this," I told him defiantly. "I won't allow it."

"I am your alpha," Sam growled, stepping closer to me. We were the same height, but at this moment, he seemed six feet taller. "And you will not dictate how I run my pack."

"So that's it?" Gemma yelled, ripping her hand from mine angrily. We weren't stupid. Her first day of being a wolf, and she'd already imprinted, on her best friend at that. And now, being told that she wouldn't be allowed to be with him like she clearly wanted, she was ready to burst.

"Gemma," Paul started, stepping up to try and defend his leader. "Gem, try and look at it from both sides." He put his hand on the side of her arm, obviously trying to comfort her, and my nostrils flared.

"How dare you touch her," I muttered. I was upset. And I didn't care. Screw respect. Screw the rules. All that mattered was her, and I couldn't let anything get in the way.

"Embry calm down," he retorted to me, a little annoyed. He _knew_ I hated it when people told me to calm down. I started to tremble, and Sam watched me as I coughed. Then, I felt myself involuntarily reaching for the wolf. I tried taking a step back, feeling a little too close to Gemma at that moment, but it didn't do anything. As I fell back onto all fours, my paw seemed to catch onto her shoulder, and I saw red. She jumped back with a yelp, grabbing her bleeding shoulder, and I growled. I tried concentrating hard to calm myself down, but I couldn't. All I could see was Paul and his smirk, and I lunged.

"Stop," Sam yelled at me, but I didn't obey. I tore into Paul's leg harshly with my claws, and he shouted a cry of pain. Then he transformed under me, biting my neck so hard, I'd first thought he'd killed me. Gemma screamed in protest and fear. I took a step back, for her. This wasn't the first time I'd hurt her, and now she was going to have to pay the price.

_Way to go, Embry_, Paul snapped at me in my head, limping a few steps back. _Way to show Sam how mature you are. _I would have apologized. I knew I should have. But my pride was flaring hand in hand with my temper, and I just couldn't.

_Paul, why is it that everyone gets to have their way except for me? You and Rach-_

Don't _bring Rachel into this._ His stare burned into me, and I stared right back. I was only vaguely aware of the others, still in human form, watching us have a private conversation. _You know what, Embry? You don't deserve to have Gemma. You're not ready. She's way too cool of a chick for you. I mean, look at you. She's brand spanking new to this, and look who's the one losing their cool, attacking their friends and defying their alpha?_

I couldn't stand this. No one seemed to be on our side. Why the hell was it so difficult for things to go my way, just once? No one understood.

"Change, now," Sam ordered, not to the pack, but to me. I looked to him, then, defeated, shot an apologetic look towards my girl and trotted back into the woods where I had an extra pair of shorts buried. However, as soon as I hit the tree line, I regretfully neglected my orders once more and instead of going back to human, I ran all the way back home.

I'd failed Gemma. She needed me to stand up for her, and all I could do was gauge a chunk out of her shoulder and gave her my 'I did my best' look. I was horrible. I was a horrible friend, horrible wolf, horrible example for the _new_ wolf.

Walking into my house stark naked, I slammed each and every door I came in contact with. I grabbed a pair of boxers and athletic shorts, carelessly sliding them on, and paced my house anxiously, undecided. I couldn't go back to the woods now. They'd either be gone or too annoyed to deal with me. I couldn't sit here and do nothing, while Gemma was out in the world without me. I needed her. Wasn't that the whole reason we were in this situation in the first place?

It wasn't long before I noticed the sun start to set, and I had an idea. As I reached for the front door knob, it opened by itself.

"Hey, Em," my mom sighed breathlessly, sliding past me and into the house. I couldn't help but sigh as I watched her dump her bag and keys on the counter, digging through the fridge for something to cook for dinner. This was her usual routine: work, work, come home, work work. I felt bad for being such a bottomless pit all the time, but I also couldn't do anything about it.

"Mom, you don't have to cook me anything," I told her, expecting her usual questions about why. Instead, she just took a breath and closed the fridge, looking relieved.

"Phew, glad I got outta that one," she replied with a small chuckle, sliding off her shoes and sitting onto the couch. She'd had a long day at wherever she worked, and she needed the rest. Was it also horrible of me that I didn't even know where my own mother spent her life working to the bone? It had something to do with the Park Preserve Department of the Greater Olympic Peninsula, and it was a long drive from La Push.

My mom knew about what I was. She knew what 'disease' had affected me, Sam, Quil, and the rest. But she chose to ignore it. She chose to blatantly ignore the fact that I was protecting her and the other locals from the certain death that would occur without us here to guard them from the vampires. She wanted nothing to do with any of it. The only friend of mine she'd ever liked was Gemma. So much for that.

"I'll be back," I told her, specifically not adding a 'soon' or 'later' after it. She didn't seem to notice, and I walked out the front door, barefoot and shirtless.

My feet found their way to the beach, literally a quarter mile from my driveway. I felt the sand between my toes, and it drove me. My plan had been to sit and watch the sunset (however cheesy that may have been) but hearing the waves crashing, I couldn't help but run as fast as I could into the water and dive under as soon as I was deep enough.


	15. Advice From an Unlikely Spectator

**I want to give a special thanks to the only four people who have reviewed my story so far: Team-LaPush-Werewolves, Angelfang, skarpia, and jblc77. It means alot that you took the time to put in your comments. So thanks!**

**Hope you guys don't mind a fresh POV for this next one! ;)**

**As always, happy reading!**

* * *

15. Advice from an Unlikely Spectator

Kim

I was called by the person I'd never, in a million years, thought I'd hear from.

Gemma Marks was by no means stupid, but she could never quite figure her way around a cell phone. So when her number came up on _my_ phone, I thought it was some kind of mistake. I was sitting in myblandly colored living room in Jared's arms, watching TV with my obnoxiously curly chestnut hair pulled back, when it rang.

Looking up to Jared, he shrugged when I showed him the caller ID.

"Answer it," he suggested, and I flipped it open.

"Hello?" I asked, confused.

"Kim?" She sounded horrible. Voice scratchy, uneven. I'd never heard her like that before. Every time we hung out, it was with the guys, and she was like one of them. She was always getting down and dirty before we had a chance to talk er anything. She seemed nice, though. A little rugged, but nice.

"This is her," I replied, still confused as to why she was calling me. It had to have been important.

"Hey, it's Gemma. Sorry for calling so randomly. Are you busy?" Of course I was busy. Whenever Jared was within a hundred feet of me, my status was officially changed to occupied. He was my soul mate, no joke.

Jared was a werewolf. Like in a freakin' horror movie. And, he explained, one of the things about werewolves was that sometimes when they saw someone, they just stuck to them and couldn't let go. I was glad though. I'd had a crush on him for the longest time before he asked me out anyway. I always thought we'd make a good match. I just never thought fate would agree with me so easily. My point was, I didn't want to venture out of Jared's arms for some girl I barely knew. But she seemed like a cool person, and she'd always been super nice. I had no reason not to like her.

"No, I'm just hanging out with Jared," I told her, and though the conversation should have felt awkward, it wasn't like that. "Why, what's up?"

"Oh, I was just wondering. I'll let you go."

"No, it's okay," I insisted, sitting up from my position on the couch, running my fingers through my hair. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to talk. But it's really okay." For some reason, I felt like she needed me, like it was important. Why else would she come to me, and not Emily or her brother? I knew from what Jared had told me, she was in a tough situation at the moment, what with her trying to be the only girl wolf in the pack, but I hadn't really thought about all the troubles she would have.

"No, Gemma it's okay, I'm not busy. Do you want to meet somewhere?" I asked, already standing and sliding on my non-Jared jacket.

"Yeah, the beach is fine," she replied. I hung up, sliding my phone in my pocket.

"She wants to talk," I told him. I'd never hidden anything from him, and I wasn't about to start. I guess the way I said it made it sound like I was asking permission, because he nodded in approval.

"Sure," he said, sprawling out on my couch. I'd never seen a more perfect person in my entire life, and there he was, right on my couch, eating my food and watching my TV. As much as I wanted to hug him, kiss him, it also would have been selfish to ignore a person in need just to be with him.

As I reached the outdoors, I tried resolving the dilemma of whether to drive or walk. It was slightly chilly, and though it was close I decided to just take my car. I hopped in and drove off, realizing my hair was pretty messy and I was wearing only a pair of pajama pants and one of Jared's shirts. It smelled like him, and I smiled, feeling protected.

I pulled close enough that my front tires began to tread into sand, and I got out. I was one of the only teenagers in town who actually drove; the rest rode bikes or ATVs, or walked, but my house was on the outskirts of the town, and the car was a necessity if I wanted to get anywhere, like school, the beach, or the diner. I saw a figure on the beach, sitting on a rock near the shore, and I assumed it was her. She didn't look any different from the last time I saw her, but that was only from far away.

Car keys in my hand, I exercised through the sand until I reached her.

"Hey," I greeted gently, hopping up onto the boulder next to her. The typical wolf in their human form was tall, muscular, and dark. Gemma was one for three, but then again, she'd always been stronger than the usual girl.

"Thanks for meeting me, Kim," she commented, her eyes filled with pain. I wondered what had happened to change those usually brightly lit orbs of hers. Something real bad. I noticed the bandage on her bare shoulder. Could that have something to do with it? She'd only been a wolf a few days. What if she had hurt someone? It pained me to think it could have been my Jared.

"No problem," I told her. "What's going on?"

"I just... I don't know what to do anymore." It was weird, at first, keeping the secret from Gemma. She was the only one out of all of us who didn't know about the legends, at least until now, now that she was thrown into it.

"About what?" I asked, studying her. She was pretty. Shiny brown hair, windburned, pale face, big brown eyes.

"Well, you already know about how I changed, right?" I nodded in silence, hinting to continue. "Did you know about Embry?" Embry. Of course I knew. Embry'd been in love with Gemma since he was in middle school, Jared told me, but he was always too afraid of her brother. And now that she was a wolf, they really couldn't be together, because Sam made a new rule. Unless there was something Jared wasn't telling me... He'd never lied to me before, but I did get the feeling sometimes that he hid some things from me. I trusted him though. If he didn't want me knowing something, it was probably best that I didn't know it.

Instead of nodding, I just stayed silent.

"Well, I sort of..." she paused, swallowing. "I sort of imprinted on him."

Imprint. I knew what it meant. It was part of me. Heck, it was most of me. That sticking feeling that Jared had described. I smiled, thinking about how happy Embry would have been to find this out. Finally, they could be together. Then, my expression quickly folded. Why would this be a bad thing, like she was implying it to be?

"Wow," I stated. "So what's wrong?"

"It's Sam," she explained. "He made this stupid rule, and now we can't be together." This single statement made me feel extremely selfish. I took my relationship with Jared for granted way too much. As much as I stood back and appreciated it, I never realized that it was so simple for us to be together. I wasn't a wolf. "And Emily," she continued. "I know Emily wants to help and she would understand, but I just can't seem to go to her with this. Maybe it's just because I'm pissed at her fiancé." I stayed silent. Maybe she just needed someone to vent to. But after a moment of silence, I spoke.

"I'm so sorry. Have you tried talking to Sam?" I wondered, and in response, she merely glanced at her shoulder, then finally to me to make eye contact for the first time that evening. Her other half was being ripped from her, and half of her was empty. I could only imagine... "I'm so sorry," I whispered. As much as the pack treated her like a guy, she wasn't. She had complex feelings, and I could hardly think of how Embry was holding up. "How are you guys going to be in the same pack without, like..." I cut myself off, becoming conscious that I was probably just making it worse by pointing out the obvious. But she didn't seem mad, at me at least.

"I don't know," she shrugged quietly. "At first, we were going to sneak around, but we both know we can't pull it off. We aren't smart enough to hide it from everyone," she elaborated, hugging her knees close to her. I could feel the heat from her skin near mine, which was covered by a jacket. She must have really been hot. "So I guess it just looks like..." she paused, and I waited patiently for her to continue. She let out a loud sniff sound. Was she crying? I'd never seen her show that type of emotion before. "I guess it just looks like we can't be together."

"Oh, no, don't say that Gemma," I told her, shocked that she would try and give up like that. "I'm sure you guys will come up with a solution. Sam's probably just scared your relationship might threaten the pack. But you're a cool person, you wouldn't let that happen." She was silent for a long time, and so was I. She'd obviously talked to Embry, but not good enough, apparently. Maybe she should have called him...

"We tried talking to Sam, but Embry ended up exploding at Jared. Hence the uh," she sniffed, motioning towards her shoulder once again.

"I am so sorry," I breathed, not looking at her bandage but at the scars on the back of her neck. They were from Embry, too, and I shuddered thinking of the damage Jared could probably do to me. I was just glad that wasn't the case. Embry and Gemma were both fairly new to the situation. But that didn't mean they had to get hurt like this...

"Do you want me to talk to Jared? I'm sure he could talk to Sam," I offered, studying her.

"No, I wouldn't ask you to do anything. Besides, Jared is on Sam's side. I don't want this affecting you and him, too."

"Well," I began. She was right. It would only make things worse if I tried to mend it. "Maybe you and Embry should talk again, sit down with the rest of the guys calmly and work everything out."

She stayed completely still, and for a moment, I thought she'd frozen. Then, she took in a deep breath. "You know what?" she asked, hopping down off of the rock. "Maybe I will." Oh, no. What had I just done? She was still mad.

"Gemma!" I yelled, carefully getting myself off of the boulder and following her. She was already half way to the road. "Gemma you have to be calm, or this won't work out." I reached her, grabbing her arm and turning her around. There was less resistance than I expected, and from this angle, I could see her big, teary eyes and scrunched face. I studied her for a moment, then hugged her, pulling her close. At first, she hugged me back, really tightly (maybe even a little too tightly). Then, she seemed to go limp in my arms, aside from her legs holding her up. It took a lot of energy to cry, I knew, and I held her there for a long time, stroking her hair. I always loved when my mother did that for me. "I'm so sorry," I cooed to her, giving her one final squeeze before pulling away.

Wiping her snot and tears with her bare arm, she took in a big sniff and put on a smile.

"Thank you, Kim. I know we don't really talk a lot, so this really means a lot to me."

And then she was gone.


	16. Persuasive Measures

16. Persuasive Measures

Gemma

By the time I'd walked from the beach to Emily's house, it was raining. No, it was pouring. The angels were crying for my cause, and I appreciated the effort and all, but it didn't exactly work in my favor. I was soaked, but it didn't really slow me down. I had the muscles of a wolf now.

I was glad I'd called Kim. She'd really helped put things into perspective. She'd given me the confidence I needed to march right into Sam's living room, look him in the eye, and say—

"...Please Sam."

Well, it wasn't what I'd planned to say in my head, but whatever.

He stared at me for a long time, taking in my entire image. I probably looked like I'd been through hell and back on a rainy day: sopping wet, dripping on his floor, shivering from both the weather and my emotions, sniffling and unable to take my gaze from him. My eyes were begging, pleading.

_ Sam, please. I know you can't hear me, but you're my alpha. You're supposed to take care of me. _

_ Please..._

"Gemma," he sighed. What was that tone? Surrender? "I-" Before he could speak any further, the front door was thrown open with the same rhythm of the thunder outside of it.

"Sam!" The voice rattled my bones, made me shiver even more. My soul mate, Embry, stomped into the living room. He was as soaked as I was, though he looked a little more angry. He didn't seem to notice me, though, as he headed directly to Sam. "We need to talk!"

"Embry-" Sam started.

"Okay, no. You misunderstood. By _we_ need to talk, I mean _I_."

"Embry," Sam tried again, more defiant this time.

"Sam it's my turn. You can't keep stomping all over my life just because you're the pack leader. Who gives a damn? I'll leave the pack if that's what it takes-"

"Quiet!" Sam barked, and Embry fell completely silent. "If you would have barged in here five seconds later, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Gemma here decided to come and try to convince me as well." Embry looked to his right, to see me. Even though we were both dripping rain water, shaking, and standing for the whole pack to see, I couldn't help but get locked into his eyes. They were just so beautiful...

Sam broke me out of my stupor, the rest of the guys, sitting on the floor and couch, looking up at him. They looked just as anxious as I was, aside from Reece, who just looked brood. "I apologize for causing you both such pain," he explained.

"My first priority was the pack," he continued. "My thoughts were consumed by what _I_ would do if Emily were one of us, and that would be to do absolutely everything I could to protect her. She would come first, not the pack. I feared the same thing would go for you two. I didn't consider the fact that you are not I... and you," Sam looked to me, "are not Emily."

What did that mean? Was his monologue over? I took an almost subconscious baby sized step towards Embry. He took my hand.

"I cannot keep you from her any longer. _Fate_ has decided that." Did I just hear him correctly?

"So-" I started, daring to implore further.

"Yes," he replied, without hearing the question; he seemed to know it though.

The whole room was suddenly filled with applause and cheers. For me. For _us. _My smile instantly broke through, and before I knew it, I was spinning in the air, my feet not anywhere near solid ground. Embry's arms wrapped around my waist, he spun me around happily, and I felt his lips touch my neck once more. I couldn't help but squeal in excitement, and my hands found his face.

"Sam," I heard one of the guys say quickly, alertly. Something was wrong, but I didn't care. It didn't concern me.

It was the one thing I'd been waiting for my whole life, so it seemed. I could finally kiss him. The moment our fate would be sealed, with one touch of our lips...

It never came.


	17. Call of Duty

17. Call of Duty

Embry

The room was spinning. I _had her_ _in my grasp._ And then she was gone.

With a loud snarl, she was ripped from my arms. The taker was a cold one.

No, not a cold one. Cold _ones. _Ice cold hands were on me, and I growled. How had I not seen it earlier? How had _anyone_ not _smelled_ them earlier? Their horrible scent instantly filled the room, and they were attacking, biting. All I knew was that Gemma was gone. My adrenaline jumped to an all time high.

I couldn't do shit as a human, though. I reached for my wolf.

Sure, I was in Emily's living room, but I couldn't go outside. I'd only have to go back inside for the leeches anyway.

It seemed like my pack got the same idea.

_Get the girls out!_ Sam ordered.

_What are they doing here? _Screamed Jared as he threw one of the vampires by the arm through the wall.

_We need to get them outside, _I told them, my eyes darting around for Gemma. She was nowhere in sight.

_She'll be fine, she'll phase, _Sam coached me, attempting to keep track of how many vampires were in the house. It had to have been five or six. It was more than we'd ever faced before. I could sense it in Sam's tone. He wasn't concerned for the pack, he knew we could handle ourselves. His focus was on Emily, who had run out the back door in an attempt to leave the scene. One of the vampires, however, caught her scent and darted after her, and Sam pushed through the door, making himself fit through it, and began tearing it to shreds.

The whole scene stopped. On one side of the now completely rummaged house was Jacob, Jared, Quil, Paul, and I. On the other side were five very angry looking vampires. Since Sam had left, it was up to Paul to call the shots.

_Paul...? _I asked after a moment of complete stillness. We were standing on broken furniture and glass.

_I'm thinking_, he told me, not taking his eyes off of what seemed to be the leader of the coven.

_Think faster dude, _Jared requested, huffing. That one noise seemed to set them off, because they came at us again.

_Agh, get them outside! _Paul yelled as one bit into his leg. Me, Quil, and Jared slowly rounded them up, pushing them closer and closer to the front door. Finally, they seemed to agree with us, taking our battle outside, where my Gemma was battling it out with a ragged looking one of them. She was so small in her wolf form...

_Sam? _I asked, checking in on him. He let out a short bark from behind the house as a reply. He was fine. Leaving the five vampires to the others, I ran over to Gemma.

_You okay?_ I asked.

_She won't be... Not for long. _What the hell? Whose voice was _that_ in my head? It wasn't one of the pack. It was a sultry, slithering voice. The rest of the guys seemed to hear it as well, because we all paused. One of the vampires took to his feet with a sinister smile. _That's right you filthy mutts, we can hear every word._

_ Paul? _ I asked in confusion. I could even feel Sam pause. That gave them just the upper hand they needed. Taking advantage of our distraction, they began tearing into us again, and I heard a few howls of pain from the pack. If they could hear us, then I was going to talk. _What the hell do you want?!_

I was slightly surprised when one of them actually replied.

_Nobody kills a coven leader and gets away with it._

We hadn't killed a vampire in a while. At least, not since homecoming... What was that guy's name again? Joseph?

_Johnathon, you stupid half-breed. His name was Johnathon and you slaughtered him. He wasn't even on your territory. _

Wow. Didn't know that would come back to bite me in the butt.

Or rather, the leg.

I felt teeth sink hard into me, and then a large portion of my front leg was ripped from the rest of my body, splitting the muscle. It burned, the most intense pain I've ever felt, and I let out a loud howl and fell to the ground.

_Embry, _I heard Gemma's rushed voice say as she attempted to fend for herself. I couldn't leave her, I couldn't leave my pack. I stood back up, bleeding generously from my leg, and continued to fight.

_I'm done back here, _Sam informed us, and then he appeared to the scene. The whole thing was in slow motion.

_ Sam they can hear us, _ Paul told him, though Sam already knew. He'd been listening the whole time.

_I know. Kill them all, _he ordered. That was surprising. Usually, he would have tried to stop the whole thing and tried to figure out why the bloodsuckers were there, work out some kind of compromise. Apparently not tonight. I didn't care. I was fuming. I wanted these filthy parasites dead.

_You can try,_ one of them taunted just before Sam snapped its neck. Two down, Four to go.

Jacob let out a battle cry just as he ran at one. It was fast though. Faster than Jacob, and it picked up the wolf and flipped him, slamming him into the ground on his back. He whined, barked, then ran at it again, ripping its leg clean from its body.

Three down. Three to go.

The one that had locked onto me was more crazy than the others, stronger, too. He dug his stoned hands into my wound, twisting what damaged muscle I had left. I barked and took his neck in my mouth. It was the worst taste I'd ever experienced. Luckily it didn't last long. Throwing its body into the air, Quil seemed to know where I was going with it. He caught the thing's legs mid air and we pulled.

Four down.

_Fuck! _Gemma screamed as one yanked on her leg. She growled and, with strength I didn't expect, threw it against a large tree. The tree, which had to have been a hundred feet tall and as thick as she was tall, cracked, and so did the vampire. She ran to it, ripping it's head off, and ducked just in time to avoid the falling tree.

Quil did not.

His yelps still echo in my head. The gigantic tree toppled down on him. The vampire he was fighting took advantage of it. The leech took the victimized wolf's head in his hand, and the snap was heard by even the farthest squirrel on the Rez.

Everything stopped. The two remaining vampires exchanged looks. So did we.

Did that just happen?

_Quil! _Gemma screamed, starting for the lifeless body of our newly fallen wolf.

_Gemma leave him!_ Sam grunted, eying the vampires who were watching her. She paused mid-step.

_How can you say that?! _She cried at him, still frozen in place. The vampires just seemed to be watching us.

_You sick bastards,_ I growled to them. They heard it. I could tell, because their heads both snapped to look right at me before they snapped the other way by Jacob's hand.

The vampire body count had risen, and it was finished. But it wasn't. It would never be finished.

The only sound left in the small clearing of Sam's yard was our heavy breathing. Gemma reluctantly continued to Quil... or rather, his body.

_Quil...? _she asked quietly, taking slow, limped, padded steps over the blood and vampire dust on the ground. We all watched in silence. _Quil, _she asked again, more persistent this time. We all felt her pain. It was radiating through us.

_I'll... I'll start a fire_, Paul started. He needed to distract himself. So did I.

_I'll help_, I said quickly.

_No, Embry. Jared will help him with the fire. Get Gemma. _Sam ordered me. I looked over to her wolf figure, and to what she was standing over. It made me sick, and I turned and threw up.

_Get Gemma and leave. _

_ Sam don't make me leave! _ Gemma cried. _I'm so sorry... I'm sorry... _she mumbled. We tuned her out, to let her have some privacy. I couldn't listen anymore anyway. It was making me nauseous. The blood pulsing out of my leg made it worse, and soon, my surroundings were gone, replaced by darkness.


	18. This is What Revenge Tastes Like

18. This is What Revenge Tastes Like

Gemma

Before I knew it, my world had been turned upside down.

Quil, my brother, one of my best friends, gone, and it was my fault.

I didn't care what the pack said. It was my fault. If I hadn't thrown the vampire against the tree... If I had only been smart enough to realize my strength, take into account the wind...

All I could spit out for the next week and a half was "I'm so sorry..."

I stayed home from school, crying every day, attempting to wash vampire-stench from my skin to no avail. The rest of the pack took it just as hard as I did, and some nights, we would just sit in Sam's living room for hours in silence. The sight of his mangled wolf form, crumpled by the tree, his head dangling from his shoulders was all that plagued my memory. I tried running out my frustration, but I would only find that it made my emotions flare. I was better off in my human form.

Embry sneaked into my bedroom almost every night, holding me, trying to make me feel better. It was nice to have someone there, but other nights, I would've rather been alone. It was like I could feel not only my emotions but his as well, and it weighed down on me like... well, a tree.

If there was one thing his presence did, though, was ward away the night terrors, at least at first. They started simple, me jumping in the middle of the night from a dream I couldn't remember. And then they got worse. I would wake up shivering, my body temperature dropping down to about 97, yet I'd be covered in sweat. Then, after about a week after the incident, the screaming started.

I felt horrible, having Embry come in and lull me to sleep despite my frantic tears, finally allowing him to fall asleep once I'd gone under, only to wake him from a dead nap with pained, piercing screams. But when I'd refuse to let him in my room, the dreams would only worsen. I was stuck.

The guys healed at a faster rate than I did. They liked running out their frustrations, venturing into distant lands that I'd only dreamed of visiting before. Jared even made it to Alaska before Sam had to request his return. But it didn't help me. Maybe it was a guy thing. I wasn't sure.

One night, about 3 weeks after the incident, we all gathered in Sam's living room once again, this time with a little bit of a lighter atmosphere. I was curled up in a ball beneath Embry's arm, which was how I was usually positioned these days, and everyone seemed to look at me.

"Gem," Sam spoke up quietly, shattering the silence we'd come to achieve. My eyes slowly found his; they'd been stinging basically non-stop for the past three quarters of a month. I never thought a human was capable of producing that many tears. But then again, I wasn't exactly human.

I was a monster.

"Gemma," he continued, without waiting for a reply. He knew I wasn't going to give him one. Everyone stopped talking and paid close attention to him. "We really think you should try to heal from this. We all have, at least, part of the way. I know you think it was your fault, what happened, but it wasn't. It was Quil's job to defend the Rez, and that was exactly what he was doing. And so were you."

The sound of his name made my ears ring. My focus was now drowning in memories, recollections of that night. The night when the world stopped turning.

"You can't put all the blame on yourself, Gemma," my brother added, giving a 'your-welcome' nod to Sam, who nodded back. "In a way, we are all to blame. But none of us really are."

I stayed silent still. That didn't help at all.

"This has got to stop," Sam continued, as if Reece had never spoken up. "We need you in a good emotional state."

_For what?_ I thought, though I wasn't about to just speak up. They seemed to get it, however.

"We found another one. Close. And we need your help."

That was all the convincing I'd needed to get up off my lazy butt and get to work. If there was any way that I could help honor my fallen brother, then I was going to do it. And vampire-slaying seemed to be just the thing to cheer me up.

We'd gotten the game plan together surprisingly fast, thanks to Sam. He'd thought of the whole thing already. We had a basic knowledge of where the thing was, which was close to Forks. It was lurking in the woods somewhere, and we were going to find it. Me and Embry would take left and right flanks. Jacob and Jared were to be the distractions, and Sam and Paul would be their secondary reinforcements, whilst I sneaked an attack from behind.

In the woods, in my wolf form, it felt better than it had in a long time. Maybe it was because I was out for revenge... I didn't care. Anything to get the pain lifted from my chest, even a little bit, I was going to do.

Our formation was solid, and, following our noses, we found it easily. It appeared to be a woman, though I preferred to keep the formal definition of "it." Me and Embry stalked silently as inhumanly possible, while Jared and Jacob faked a fight to get it's attention.

"Ah, look. Strays. How cute." That was all I needed to hear. It's icy voice struck me hard, and I jumped before it had even a chance to turn and see me.

Then, all I saw was red. I may have blacked out, but all I know was that I ripped the thing up into so many pieces, we wouldn't even have to have a fire to ensure it wouldn't return.

Next thing I know, I'm licking myself clean, sitting in a corner of the woods while the rest of the pack started a fire and gathered the dust I'd subconsciously left behind. Embry found me, in his human form now, and plopped down in the grass next to me. I placed my head on his folded knee in apology. Apology for everything I'd put him through, when he was already going through so much. He understood, stroking my head and playing with my ears (which he knew was my favorite thing in the whole wide world.)

"I know," he cooed, moving to rest his head against my shoulder blade. And then, for the very first time in a month, Embry was sound asleep, with nothing to wake him. I closed my eyes, nuzzling closer to him, and soon, we were both off to La La Land, right in the middle of the woods.


	19. Sealing the Imprint

**Thanks again to sianybox and Team-LaPush-Werewolves for their reviews on my latest chapter! Hope you guys like 19!**

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19. Sealing the Imprint

Gemma

After we'd killed the vampire, everything seemed to turn back to normal. I went back to school (with a shit load of homework to catch up on) and I even started cliff diving, voluntarily.

Sitting on Emily's couch, more specifically, Embry's lap, we were all trading stories. Curiously, I spoke up.

"Sam?" He looked at me, his smile apparent on his face. That was how he always was around Emily. "Can I ask something?" I exchanged looks with my brothers, then looked back to him. "Can I ask about my er... Dad?"

Everything seemed to pause, and Emily nodded to her imprint. She knew it was time. I'd always been so curious about his death. I didn't even know how my parents met. My mother refused to talk about anything that had to do with the scars on her face, supposedly from the same "fire" that had killed my dad. Now that the truth was revealed to me, I figured out enough, but I was still thirsty for more.

"Maybe Reece would be more fit to tell the story." I looked over to my brother, who then nodded. It was time to let his baby sister in on the secret.

"Well, mom and dad met in high school," he started, wrapping his meaty arms around his knees casually. "Dad was born here, and mom grew up in Seattle. He imprinted on her at Seattle High, and after they graduated they came back here and had us.

"After I turned seven, you were just three, Dad started acting weird. He started working out obsessively, getting a bad temper. Eventually he adopted a sort of nocturnal sleeping pattern." I laughed, but let the sound fade after noticing the serious expression plastered on his face as he stared into the coffee table. "Mom tried to put up with all of it, even though she never knew what he was. She thought he was having some mid-life crisis thing or something.

"One night, mom put us to bed early after dinner, and they took an argument outside when he took out the trash. I watched from our bedroom window—back then we shared a room, which I hated." Everyone smiled a little. I didn't ever know we shared a room. I realized then how much it would have sucked to be Reece. He had to grow up so fast, babysit his little sister all the time. "He was yelling 'don't get me upset' and she kept screaming at him. She was frustrated. Then she hit him in the chest. It wasn't hard, but it was hard enough to make him mad. He started shaking really bad, and then..." He finally brought his eyes up to face me. I knew. My dad had attacked my mom, given her the scars that resembled Emily's. Why didn't I put it together before? "The rest of the pack happened to be in the woods by our house, and they saw the whole thing. They were like mom's brothers, and they rushed to defend her.

"Dad died, and another tribe member, in that fight."

"You... you saw the whole thing?" He was silent. I took that as a yes. It was a lot to take in. I finally knew the truth about my family history. Was I even prepared to handle that kind of knowledge? "I'm sorry, Reece," I told him, and Jared, who was sitting closest to him, clapped a supportive hand on his back. Embry pulled me closer, his elbows meeting at my naval. It was quiet for a while after that.

The night terrors still woke me up, and some nights, I would wake my mother with screaming. She'd caught Embry sneaking into my room the night after the hunt, and forbade him to come anywhere within ten feet of the house past 11 pm. I knew that she understood the strong desires of an imprint, and that was probably her main reason for imposing the restriction. And she would run into my room each and every night I would wake up in fear, only to see Embry-wolf sitting, with his ears perked, directly outside my window, exactly ten feet from the house.

One day, sitting in math class, my own ears perked. I was tired, that was for sure, and the teachers took it easy on me. They knew I had lost someone close, and they weren't about to make it worse by loading me down with work. With bags under my eyes, I turned, my chewed pencil dancing between my fingers, to look at Embry, who was a few rows over, realizing that in all this time, I'd never gotten my kiss.

Winter approached quickly, and that meant one thing to me: my birthday. On December 21st, my brothers had surprised me with an ATV of my very own, and in my favorite color, too: purple. It pleased everyone, including Embry, who'd put most of the work into it (which I found virtually impossible since he acted as my guardian angel by both night and day) and Reece, who for him meant no more giving rides to his little sister around town.

What I wanted most though, was to fulfill the epiphany I'd experienced in Algebra class.

Sure, Embry and I had kissed before. Once, in the fifth grade, during recess, we all went behind the school bleachers and played truth or dare. Quil dared me to kiss the ickiest person in the bunch, and, out of sheer humor, I'd kissed Embry on the cheek. Then, there was the time in my bedroom, when he'd kissed my neck. But never had we shared a true, mouth to mouth, full on CPR-effect, kiss.

That night, it began to snow in La Push, Washington. And I decided a brisk drive through the town was just what I needed. Of course, my boyfriend was to tag along, but this time, it was my turn to yank him around a bit.

I mounted the vehicle, my hands on my knees whilst I analyzed the make up of the handlebars. It wasn't like Embry's, who's was fairly simple. This one had lots of gears and buttons and switches. Then, his voice was in my ear, his hands on top of mine.

"Gas," he said softly, directing my left hand to the handlebar and placing my index finger on a lever. "Brake." He did the same with the other, and with both his hands on top of mine, and the engine purring softly beneath us, I zoomed off into the distance, the pack standing on my porch and cheering us on.

"Gembry! Gembry!" They rooted. I liked the ring to it.

The snow seemed to melt as it came in contact with my bare skin. If anyone saw us, they probably would have assumed we were the craziest people on the Rez, sporting beach wear on an open December drive. But we were comfortable, and if it was up to me, then nobody would see us. We would be going too fast.

Embry laughed as I hit the gas lever again, and we shot forward into the night. We passed the diner, now closed, the beach, and his house. We were on the outskirts of town, and it was a good feeling, his hands on mine, his chest pressed against my back. My lust began raging, and I slowed until we were stopped in front of the faded "Goodbye" sign. The elders had changed it from "Thanks for visiting La Push," when they realized that no one came here just to visit. You either lived here, or you passed through.

"Why'd ya stop, Gem?" Embry asked, nibbling playfully at my ear. I giggled, brushing the hair out of my face and standing. I swung my legs over until I was facing backwards, and I placed my hands on each side of his jaw. He placed his hands on mine and for once, I moved them down to his lap. I wanted control this time. Nothing was going to hinder me from what I wanted. Not vampires, not Sam, not my brother, not anyone.

I gave him a playful smirk and ran my fingers through his hair, scooting forward to sit on his lap. Scooting closer, ever closer, I watched his lips, how the left corner was twitching slightly, as if in anticipation. My mouth parted, and I closed my eyes, listening as our heart beats seemed to synchronize into one loud thumping sound. The sound of Gembry, the sound that would make this moment last forever. Our breath, thick and clearly visible in the winter air, blended together, as if roping us closer.

Time stopped. The sounds of nature paused as if on mute, and the butterflies in my stomach lifted me into the air out of glee. Pure bliss. My vision went white. I felt hot hands grasp my waist, a bit roughly though I didn't mind, and my elbows adjusted to each side of his neck. We were one now, we had sealed the imprint. But we didn't stop. And for once, no one else stopped us either.

Both of us giggling and grinning between kisses, we removed ourselves from the four wheeler and laid down on the ground next to the tires. I screamed a laugh as he moved on top of me and began kissing my jaw.

It was perfect, at least, until a third party entered the scene.

"Get up," Reece barked, suddenly pulling Embry away from me by the neck.

"Reece get out of here," I demanded, my natural high preventing me from getting mad. Propping myself up on my elbows, I saw Reece throw Embry into the road.

"What would mom say, huh?" He yelled, obviously being overprotective. Again.

"She would say go away," I told him, sighing and standing up as Embry returned to us. Our moment was officially over, but I wasn't satisfied. I needed him to be close to me again, and I needed Reece to be gone.

"Reece, this isn't-" Embry started, and Reece spun on his heels and punched him, square in the nose.

"Reece!" I screamed, watching as Embry stumbled back and holding his nose in pain. I shoved my brother, and he turned to flare his nostrils at me before turning back to Embry.

"What the hell, man?!" Embry yelled, plugging his nose. I couldn't let him get hurt at my expense. I moved in front of him, hugging him protectively from in front of him and staring into the eyes of my ravenous brother.

"Reece. Go. Away."

"I will not let you do this, Gemma."

"Don't assume things Reece. You know the rule on that. When you _assume_, you make an _ass _out of-" He cut me off before I could finish my smart-alec remark.

"Gemma just shut up."

"Hey!" Embry growled from behind me. "Lay off, man. This isn't your business."

"It's my _sister_, man!!"

"Dude, just go away."

Even though I was pretty pissed, I also felt bad for Reece. It must have been hard, handing off his baby sister off to his buddy, who (if he was anything like me) has had some pretty impure thoughts, which had to have come up at one point. I'd even caught him once, thinking about me in a way that wasn't exactly appropriate. I never told him though. He was by himself, running through the woods, and I didn't want to embarrass him.

"If you'd even seen half of what this guy thinks about, Gem, you wouldn't be making out with him in the grass."

"I'm pretty sure I would," I told him sarcastically, still hugging Embry close to me, my arms wrapped backwards.

"Gemma!" Reece screeched, offended. I wasn't making it easy for him to accept my relationship with my soul mate. But I was too mad to care. He needed to leave.

"Just go away. How much more of a hint do you need?"

And then he was gone, transitioned mid-leap, off in the woods. I wouldn't hear the end of this, not if he had anything to say about it.


	20. First Aid

**So, thanks again to Team-LaPush-Werewolves for her review. I didn't wanna wait on getting more reviews, because I'm bored. :P So I'm gonna go ahead and post 20. Hope Embry's POV is as fun to read as it is to write! ;)**

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20. First Aid

Embry

Basically, my nose was broken.

I leaned against the ATV, after Reece had departed. Gemma had taken off her shirt.

Normally, this would have been a major plus, seeing my girl in a bikini top. Under the circumstances however, it wasn't exactly a sensual moment.

Circumstances, meaning, my nose was acting as a faucet for my blood.

She pushed the fabric against my nostrils, gently using her fingertips to guide my head back. I was looking up into the unmasked stars, taking in the scent of my blood mixed with the amazing smell of her shirt (it was impossible to describe her scent. Think of the most favorite smell in the world to you. That's what she smelled like.) Her one hand was over mine, keeping the fabric, now stained with Embry-blood, in close proximity to my nose; her other hand was cradling the back of my head, her fingers playing with my hair.

It was like she was getting paid to comfort me. That's how well it was working.

"I'm sorry, Gemma," I told her, even though I sounded like a pretty big idiot with my nose all plugged up. I was getting a little light headed, but I didn't want to tell her that. I wanted to make sure she knew she was doing a good job. At my statement, her smile broke through the thick snow, instantly making me warm. Or rather, warm_er._

"You're apologizing for getting punched by my dumb ass brother?" I let out a small laugh. I guess I was.

I just felt horrible that she had to go through the pain of watching her imprint and her brother fight. It must have been terrible.

"C'mon," she motioned, taking her hands off me and sitting down on the ATV, hinting for me to swing my leg around. "We'll get you to Emily."

Emily, the healer of the pack. She'd never volunteered for the job, yet she never turned us away. And man, could we acquire some wounds.

Soon, we were pulling into Sam's driveway. Jared and Paul were playing wolf-tag in the snow, while the others lounged on the porch, their human muses included. Rachel was bundled up in about 3 or 4 jackets, laughing and enjoying the show. Emily had Sam's arm around her. I imagined she was warm enough. I jumped off the four-wheeler as soon as we came to a stop, and Gemma was right behind me.

"Gembry!" Jacob yelled from the porch with a chuckle. The vampire girl was at his side. She wreaked, but I didn't mention it. I was too busy bleeding.

"What's going on?" Emily inquired, noticing the blood. She was always good at spotting blood.

"Freakin' Reece, " I explained simply, going inside with Gem at my tail. Ha. Tail.

Soon, nearly everybody had piled inside, thirsting for the latest scoop of drama in the life of Gembry. We were bombarded with questions as Em fished for her first aid kit.

"What happened?" Sam asked. More like demanded. His voice stuck above the rest. Stupid alpha stuff like that made me want to _not_ answer him.

"Reece! Punched me! In the nose!" I told him in a frustrated tone. I wasn't going to tell my story a million times. Here ye, Here ye! Gather 'round!

"Why?"

For that, I looked to Gemma. I wasn't about to go into our personal lives with everyone. At least, not without her permission.

"We pulled over," I started, "and we were..."

"Talking," Gemma spoke up. Phew. Didn't want to have to explain _that_ one. It wasn't like we were gonna like, do it, or anything. We were just... messing around. But whatever.

"Yeah. And Reece came up and started yelling," I continued, once I knew the boundaries of the story. "He saw me touch Gemma's shoulder, and he went berserk."

"M_hm_." Sam obviously didn't believe me. I didn't care. That was as close to the truth as he was gonna get. And with your soul mate drawing little hearts on your bare back with her fingertips, it was hard to do anything but float in the thoughts of the best kiss of your life. That kiss...It was like the sky had opened up, and the gods had given us their blessing.

I'd only had two other kisses in my life.

My first was on the cheek, by Gemma. It was the fifth grade, and it was on a dare. So, really, I couldn't count it.

My second was with a girl named Lacie. She was captain of the only sports team in La Push (the girls' soccer team), and the first step in my self-initiated 'get-over-Gemma-already-jeez' phase in Freshman year, when I realized that dating a grade six was creepy. The kiss was alright. I wasn't into it, but she definitely was. Taught me a lot about kissing that night. I actually went home feeling violated.

Simply put, I would take a broken nose in exchange for the Gembry-kiss any day of the week.

After Emily had fixed my nose—well, as close to "fixed" as she could... This included a rather large homemade splint, which my nose displayed prominently. She claimed it was so the bones would heal in the proper place. I honestly would have rather had someone punch it back into place then wear the stupid thing, but Gemma insisted—we all sat around and watched TV until about 3 am, when Jared drove Rachel back to her house. Jacob did the same with Bella (the minute she walked out of the house, each and every one of us took in a deep breath of non-polluted air) and I figured I would do the same with Gemma.

"C'mon, I'll take you home."

"I can drive myself home now, remember?" She pointed out. She was sitting on her feet so that she could rest her arm around my shoulders and play with my hair. I think she liked the idea of not being so short in comparison, so I allowed her. It was nice for me too, for once not to be the one protecting _her_. It was the other way around. I felt so safe.

Great, I was turning into a wuss.

"Yeah, but I still wanna go with you."

"Hoping for another ATV kiss?" she giggled in my ear, pulling away to see my expression.

"Hey," I said quietly, putting a finger to her perfect, beautiful lips, "don't be so naughty," I told her playfully, standing up so abruptly that her weight, which had previously been leaning against my body, fell onto the couch. I laughed, taking her hand and helping her up. We stood for a minute, staring at each other, and I saw her eyes go to the center of my nose. She let out a snort. "Don't laugh at me," I cried dramatically, rolling my eyes as I set out for her purple ATV.


	21. Crossfire

**Thanks to Team-LaPush-Werewolves and Twilightgirl1209 for their reviews, hope everyone likes this chapter and keep an eye out for 22!! :)**

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21. Crossfire

Gemma

It was around 3 am, when Embry suggested he escort me home. This meant he was to ride on the back of my ATV to my house, then go home.

It didn't exactly go like that.

After I pulled my vehicle into my gravel driveway, which I concluded was empty because Reece was out with his Jeep, throwing a hissy fit somewhere, and my mom was working late. She was a physical therapist in Seattle, and sometimes she didn't get home until daybreak. In laments terms, I had the house to myself. Well... _we_ had the house to ourselves.

I couldn't bear to tear away from Embry when I killed the engine. Before we had even come to a complete stop, he had his arms wrapped around my bare stomach, turning me and kissing me. Lips, neck. With nothing between us but my bikini top, I grinned and led our being inside. Not bothering to turn on the lights, we flopped down onto the couch, where he twisted until he was resting on top of me, pushing my being into the itchy cushions. I laughed loudly as he ran his fingers through my snow covered hair, kissing my jaw. I didn't know how much happier I could get.

Finally, I was all alone with Embry, the guy who'd had my heart since I was in middle school. Now that our imprint was finally legal, we could be together. I placed my warm hands on each side of his face as we kissed, and even with my eyes closed I could tell he was smiling, because I felt the corners of his lips turned upward. I hugged him tight as he moved my hair away from my neck to kiss my scars. I'd almost forgotten that he was the one who put them there. If he hadn't, I wouldn't have been alive.

Now, you would think, after the incident earlier, I would have been a little wary about someone walking in on us. But no. Our love was a beautiful thing, and it didn't even cross my mind that someone would, for the second time that night, tear him away from me.

It wasn't just then, though. Things were actually getting pretty steamy. I wasn't thinking about the morning, or my brother. My thoughts were consumed entirely by Embry, and how long I'd waited for this.

It took me a minute to realize that we had actually stood up. His hands found my thighs and lifted me off the ground. My elbows resting on his shoulders, our lock barely broke as he carried me up the stairs, stumbling a few times, as he headed for my bedroom.

I felt myself being slammed into the wall—no, my bedroom door. Embry was using me as a battering ram to open it. I didn't mind. I didn't even notice really, but after a minute, with my back stinging, I pried one of my arms away from his perfect, godly body to reach backwards and open it. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I won the battle against my doorknob, and we were both relieved to flop down on the bed.

Had I not been so completely wrapped up, I probably would have noticed sooner that my light was on.

Eventually, I noticed that we weren't alone.

There sat Reece, eyes filled with complete anger. He was sitting on my floor, legs folded Indian style, holding some pictures of me when I was a kid. I'd always kept the family photos in my room, so he sometimes came in to look at them... But now? Hell no.

We must have been a sight for sore eyes. Not. Both of us, half naked (well, I was a little more than half... apparently between the couch-episode and the door-episode, the back of my bikini top had been untied.) on top of each other on my bed, hair askew? Jesus Christ. I felt horrible.

Reece, unable to contain himself (this time I really couldn't blame him, though that doesn't mean I wanted him to) ripped Embry away from me by the hair, and threw him to the opposite side of the room. The side with my window. With the force of a wolf, my dear Embry broke through the glass and found himself plummeting to the ground two stories below.

At that point, I couldn't even get over my shock enough to scream. What was worse: Reece jumped out after him.

By the time I reached the window sill, which was littered with shards of thin glass, I saw my brother on top of an obviously injured Embry, punching him as hard as he could. It took all my will not to jump down from the window as they had. I ran downstairs, and by the time I reached the front door, I saw that they had both reached for their wolf. I did the same.

_Reece, leave him the hell alone! _I screamed at him, as loud as I could, in my head.

_Gemma stay out of this_, Embry told me in a rushed tone. I heard him whine as Reece bit him hard in the shoulder. All I could sense coming from my brother's head was red. I'd felt that same thing before, when I'd killed the vampire. I didn't even remember doing it. If I didn't do something, he would kill Embry.

I felt my instincts kick in, and I jumped atop Reece's back, growling and biting. I managed to bite a large chunk out of his ear before I heard his bark. He kicked back, sparing my imprint for a few moments to try and get me off of him.

_Reece snap out of it!_ I yelled to him. _You don't wanna hurt anybody!_

Still red. I had to get him out of his raged state, or he'd be cleaning chucks of Gembry-burger from his teeth. He huffed as he spun in circles, trying to fling me from him. I dug my claws into his back, whining in his ear, pleading him to stop.

He didn't.

_Reece leave her alone! _I heard Embry call to him. _She's you're sister. _His tone was calmer now, and he was climbing a tree. I couldn't think of anything else he would be doing other than getting ready to pounce on my big bro.

_Em, wait_, I told him calmly. I stopped biting, and I released the grip on my claws. Reece started running forward, then slammed on his brakes, which was enough to fling me off of him and slam me into the very tree which Embry was hovering in. There was a loud clap of noise, and I heard the bark screaming at me, like I could talk to trees. It shook violently, and then I was smashed into the ground.

_Oof. Sorry Gem!_ Embry apologized, rolling off of me. The wind was knocked out of me, and my vision was going fuzzy. Well, fuzzy for a wolf. It'd probably still be better than a regular human's. I coughed, and by then, the boys were battling it out again.

_Stop it right now!_ I yelled at them, but now, neither of them were listening. I couldn't stop them myself. I'd only get hurt even more.

As much as I hated the idea, I needed to get Sam.

I managed to locate a rather large shirt that I'd buried in the woods close by my house. I quickly changed into my human form and ran as fast I could to Emily's house. It was nearly half past four o'clock in the morning, but for some reason, I knew someone would still be up.

"Somebody!" I yelled, running in. I found Jared and Sam lounging on the couch as Emily stood in the kitchen. Of course she was cooking.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, sitting upright. I felt a tight knot form in my stomach. I had to hurry.

"The guys.. Embry... Reece, they're-" I was out of breath from running.

"You're bleeding."

"What?" I asked. Looking down, I saw that my wolf wounds hadn't exactly gone away on the jog here. I was bleeding from my shoulder, and I could taste it as well, which scared me. "Whatever, Sam you have to help they won't listen to me." I realized that Jared was staring at my skinny legs peaking from beneath the long tee shirt, which grazed the tips of my knees. Thank god.

Sam, without any further explanation, mumbled a quick goodbye to Emily, then ran out, Jared trailing after him. We all jumped into his jeep and raced back to my property. What we found was horrible. Reece was nowhere in sight, but Embry lay on the ground, bleeding profusely, and unconscious. I screamed, like something you would hear out of a horror movie, and jumped out of the jeep. Barefooted, I ran as fast I could over to my soul mate.

"Embry, hey," I told the wolf, dropping to my knees and taking his snout in my tiny hands. "Embry wake up."

"Gemma," Sam started, but when I spun, he had already transformed. He padded over to my broken looking boyfriend. He wasn't dead, that much was certain. Even as a human I could sense his uneven pulse fighting his escaping consciousness. I looked to my alpha. It was then that I truly felt the affect of his power, his purpose. He was there to help. All along, even when I thought he was trying to split us up, he was only trying to protect us...

I took a step back. For some reason, I felt like it was going to be okay. Sam picked up Embry gently by the back of the neck, and I exchanged glances with Jared.

"Where's Reece?" he asked me after a minute. I paused. That seemed like a simple enough question, but hearing it stuck total and utter fear inside me. Was my brother lurking in the woods, using the mangled body of my soul mate as a trap? Who else would he hurt?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, my eyes seemed to find their way to the outskirt of the forest bordering my home. It was then that I saw two glowing eyes.

Reece.

No. It wasn't Reece. I mean, it was Reece on the outside... But on the inside...

"Sam," I warned, voice shaky, not able to tear my eyes away from the shining orbs. He seemed to understand, because he pushed Embry toward the opposite side of the porch. Out of the crossfire. He huffed at me. I could almost hear his voice inside my head, even in my human form. _Change._


	22. Relief

**Thanks to Team-LaPush-Werewolves, EclipseLover97, and "MEEE" (lol) for their reviews. This is another Embry-POV, not as witty as usual, but given the circumstances, I think we can forgive him. ;) Haven't written or even brainstormed for 23, I'm so behind. D: I'll post soon, though, hopefully!!**

**Merry reading!**

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22. Relief

Embry

I thought I was dreaming.

Blood was spewing from several points, including my shoulder and my leg, and my whole body was trembling. Yet there was no one around. The smell of blood was overwhelming, and I tried to stand, and failed.

Where was I? I had to get my bearings. I could hear screaming fights inside my head.

_Reece snap out of it!_

_Ow! Crap!_

_ What's it gonna take with this guy?_

_ Guys back up. _ That voice was definitely Sam's. What was going on?

The memories of what had happened to put me in this extremely painful position suddenly hit me like a cement block. Reece was in some kind of trance. His thoughts radiated nothing but the color red, and he had easily dominated me in the fight. He'd knocked me out, and now he was after my pack. And they were losing, by the sounds of their voices. But where was I?

I felt like my eyes were open, but I couldn't see. It had to have been the lack of blood, and I tried squinting and blinking. Eventually, my eyes adjusted, and I saw the sky as a deep purple. It was almost dawn. How long had I been out? My body, I found, was leaning against wood. No, against a building. I was on the other side of Gemma's porch, in a pool of my own blood mixed with mud and snow.

For the first time in a long time, I felt cold. And not just, 'oh, hey, turn up the thermostat, my feetsies are chilly' cold; more like 'get me the hell out of this ice box' cold. I was shivering harder now, and I forced myself to my feet, only to stumble and hit my head. Ow.

Someone must have heard me, because I heard an indistinct voice in my head.

_Embry? Man, are you okay? Hey, don't get up. Stay where you are._ It must have been Jared. None of the other guys had a lisp like that. I couldn't stand to listen to him though. My pack, my Gemma was in danger, and I had to fight.

_Embry, stay._ It was my alpha, talking to me like I was actually a dog. _Stay. _As much as I hated it, I couldn't help but stand still. My front legs wobbled and I fell again, right on my face. I whined a little bit as I heard the clapping of wolf-on-wolf action just feet away from me.

_I have to fight_, I told them, though still restrained by my order, finally able from my position to watch the battle ensue from the sidelines. I watched as Gemma pounced on her own brother, Jared getting clawed, hard, in the eye, and Sam biting away at the insane wolf's legs. It was all because of me, I knew it, and I couldn't do anything to help.

How did Reece still have the upper hand against Sam, Jared _and_ Gemma? Couldn't Sam just give him an order to back off?

_I've tried_, Sam told me, fighting valiantly. _He can't hear me._

_He's_ gotta _be able to hear you_, I retorted in disbelief.

_Nope,_ Jared told me quaintly, just before being knocked into the side of the porch, leaving a meteor sized hole in the wood. A bright light appeared, and everyone, even Reece, began to pause. I squinted, my eyes stinging, and watched as a second jeep pulled into the gravel driveway. Who had arrived?

"What the f-" Ah. Paul. The beta. He could help. I barked in his direction, and he understood. Instantly, nearly before he exited his car, he was a wolf, lunging at Reece. He went crazy, and Gemma and Jared backed off for a bit of rest while Paul pinned him down.

_Give him an order Sam_, Paul told him quickly; he wouldn't be able to hold the ravenous wolf much longer.

_Reece!_ Sam yelled in his head without hesitation. _Reece cut this shit out. Now. I'm your alpha, and I _said _stop. _The writhing body of Reece was slowly being lulled, like a child in a fit. Everyone paused, and I felt the almost magnetic push against me ease. I walked out from behind the porch to gawk along with everyone else. There was Reece, lying there in his wolf form, staring up at us like he'd just missed the bus.

_What...What's going on? Paul get off me._ He jerked his paws away from his beta, rising slowly to his feet. Everyone tensed, still cautious.

_Is that you in there?_ Gemma asked softly.

_Of course it's- _he stopped then, when his dark eyes met mine. Red started returning back into his thoughts, and I took a step back, my hind leg snapping a twig as I did so.

_Reece, stand still._ Even I could feel the heat of the strong command. Sam held his ground, making sure his order was fully adhered to.

His thoughts returned back to normal once more, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. But Sam wasn't finished with him. _Go change, now, before you kill someone_, he spat at him before turning to me. _Embry, are you okay?_

I could feel myself nod, even as the pain worsened. I was standing in a pool of blood soaked snow, and before long, I was landing in it face first, watching the colors swirl around me.


End file.
